The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.

0740 GMT - Apple and Samsung are expected to help sustain demand for smartphone displays through 2026, cushioning the market from a broader slowdown, according to TrendForce. The research firm says rising memory prices and supply shortages are increasing costs across the smartphone supply chain, prompting brands to take a more cautious approach to shipment planning. TrendForce forecasts global smartphone panel shipments to decline 2.5% to 2.25 billion units in 2026. Steady demand from Apple and Samsung devices, along with continued orders from repair and secondary markets, is helping support shipments. In 2Q, Chinese display giant BOE remained the top supplier with a 26.1% market share, ahead of Samsung Display and TCL CSOT. (jie.yang@wsj.com)

0740 GMT - Meituan's food delivery business is likely to continue to improve, according to HSBC analysts in a research note. "The pace at which Meituan's food delivery loss has improved in 2Q surprised on the upside," they note. While order growth could turn negative year-over-year in 3Q on a high base of comparison, continued average order value improvement can drive better unit economics as Meituan continues to rein in user subsidies, the bank says. HSBC keeps a buy rating and raises its target price for Meituan to 110.00 Hong Kong dollars from HK$104.00. Shares last traded at HK$79.05. (tracy.qu@wsj.com)

0738 GMT - Japan's nominal neutral rate likely lies at 1.75%, higher than the previously estimated 1.5%, given persistent yen weakness has pushed up inflation expectations, says Oxford Economics economist Shigeto Nagai. The rate will then likely decline gradually toward 1.5% in 2028 as inflation expectations edge down alongside the stabilization of the yen, he says. His new projection falls close to the midpoint of the Bank of Japan's estimated range for the neutral rate. "If the FX markets continue to demand faster rate hikes, then the BOJ would face a serious dilemma regarding whether it can risk excessive tightening to contain yen weakening pressures," he says. (megumi.fujikawa@wsj.com)

0719 GMT - Toyota Motor has the characteristics required to establish a meaningful presence in robotics, Goldman Sachs says in a note. Those include urgency in addressing supply-chain pressures associated with the shift to electric vehicles, hardware and software technology and management's positioning of robotics as a growth strategy. Continuous advancements in physical artificial intelligence are accelerating the development of humanoid robots, the U.S. bank says. The automotive industry is uniquely positioned to support the mass production of humanoid robots, the bank says. Toyota could produce about 190,000 to 540,000 humanoid robot units in 2035, implying a global market share of about 3%-8%, Goldman Sachs says. (kosaku.narioka@wsj.com; @kosakunarioka)

0713 GMT - Bangchak Corp.'s positive earnings outlook is reinforced by its investor forum, UOB Kay Hian's Arsit Pamaranont says in a research report. Management aims to boost the petroleum and energy conglomerate's Ebitda to 100 billion baht by 2030 from 36 billion baht in 2025, with its strategy increasingly focused on maximizing value from existing businesses. Its trading business was another positive surprise, with management targeting trading Ebitda of roughly 1.6 billion baht in 2027 and 5 billion baht by 2031 after trading Ebitda reached 1.05 billion baht in 1H 2026. The brokerage raises the stock's target price to 65.00 baht from 52.00 baht to reflect valuation roll-forward, with unchanged buy rating. Shares are 0.5% higher at 55.00 baht. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0712 GMT - BOC Hong Kong's fundamentals are likely to remain solid as it maintains its loan growth and asset quality advantage over peers, say DBS Group Research analysts in a note. Asset quality improvement in the lender's 1H earnings was a pleasant surprise, the analysts note. They expect BOC Hong Kong to deliver growth in 2026 thanks to higher interest rates and recovery in the Hong Kong property sector and economy. However, they say BOC Hong Kong's additional shareholder return plan appears to be on the lower end of market expectations and its higher dividend payout ratio has likely been priced into shares. DBS retains its buy rating and 52.00 Hong Kong dollar target price. Shares rise 2.75% to HK$52.35.(megan.cheah@wsj.com)

0652 GMT - Frencken Group remains an add call to CGS International on two tailwinds, the brokerage's William Tng says in a research report. The analyst cites management's guidance for a strong recovery in the manufacturing solutions provider's semiconductor business over 2027-2028 and buying support for its shares from Singapore's Equity Market Development Programme. The company is also likely to post 8.8% EPS CAGR over 2025-2028 with potential for higher earnings in 2027-2028 if demand in its semiconductor segment remains strong. However, the brokerage lowers the stock's target price to 2.93 Singapore dollars from S$3.25 to factor in the company's proposed new share placement. Shares are 0.85% lower at S$2.33. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0619 GMT - China's economic momentum is likely to improve for the remainder of 2026, Capital Economics' Nguyen Hoang Nam says in a note. China's official manufacturing purchasing managers index in August rose to 49.8 from 49.2 in July, beating expectations. The subindex for total new orders increased to 50.6, up from 48.5 in July. This suggests that fiscal spending on infrastructure may be on the cusp of picking up again after delays in the deployment of already-allocated funds by local governments, says the China economist.(amanda.lee@wsj.com)

0613 GMT - Berli Jucker's growth outlook is strengthened by the completed consolidation of MM Mega Market Vietnam, Maybank Securities (Thailand)'s Suttatip Peerasub says in a research report. MM Mega Market Vietnam enables Berli Jucker to capture Vietnam's compelling retail growth opportunity while driving operational synergies, boosting supplier bargaining power, and enhancing its integrated distribution platform, the analyst says. The outlook for the Thai conglomerate's packaging business also seems bright, thanks to robust demand amid factors such as secured new orders. The brokerage lifts its core earnings forecasts for Berli Jucker by 5% for 2026, 4% for 2027, and 3% for 2028. It raises the stock's target price to 19.50 baht from 18.60 baht with unchanged buy rating. Shares are 1.3% lower at 15.50 baht. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0533 GMT - Hana Microelectronics' earnings visibility looks improved, ttb wealth securities' Pattadol Bunnak says in a research report. It started production in 3Q for two artificial-intelligence data-center-based orders, the analyst says. According to the electronics manufacturing services provider, its clients have recently increased order sizes after securing more contracts with U.S. hyperscalers. The Thai company expects two AI clients to be its top five customers in 2027, says the brokerage, which lifts its assumptions for AI orders to account for 12% and 13% of the company's sales in 2027 and 2028, respectively, from 7% earlier. The brokerage raises the stock's target price to 55.00 baht from 48.00 baht, with unchanged buy rating. Shares are 1.6% higher at 47.50 baht. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0506 GMT - Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's comments complicate the AI trade, Tiger Brokers market strategist James Ooi says in a note. Warsh said at the Jackson Hole symposium that the Fed policy remains unrestrictive given rapid business capex growth, much of it AI-related. Investors now have to weigh whether capex growth could increase the odds of tighter monetary policy, Ooi says. Higher interest rates raise discount rates, weighing on AI hardware valuations, he adds. Asian tech hardware stocks fall after U.S. semiconductor shares declined following Warsh's hawkish speech on Friday. SK Hynix falls 2.5%, Samsung Electronics drops 1.95% and TSMC loses 1.45%.