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

0719 GMT - European stock indexes move higher at the open. Banks and industrials lead the continent, though software stocks weaken. The Europe-wide Stoxx 600 gains 0.3% after falling sharply in the last two sessions. London's FTSE 100 is flat, as gains for travel stocks and industrials are countered by falling software stocks. RELX drops 1.7%. In Paris, the CAC 40 adds 0.6% as luxury stocks rise after struggling so far this week. LVMH trades up 0.1%. Germany's DAX gains 0.35%, led by large industrial groups. Airbus adds 1.6%. Software giant SAP drops 1.6%. Banks drive the Italian FTSE MIB up 0.8%, while Spain's IBEX 35 is 0.5% higher. In Amsterdam, the AEX is flat as ASML adds 0.1%. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)

0656 GMT - Japfa Comfeed Indonesia's near-term profitability is likely to be aided by rising broiler prices, CGS International's Jason Chandra says in a research report. Indonesia's broiler prices have rebounded since mid-July and remain at 25,000 rupiah per kilogram versus the agri-food company's cost basis of around 21,000 rupiah per kilogram, which could indicate improving profitability from 3Q, the analyst notes. Also, successful culling initiatives encouraged by the government during June-July helped to support broiler prices, while resumption of Indonesia's free meal program in July facilitated demand recovery. The brokerage raises the stock's target price to 3,700.00 rupiah from 3,300.00 rupiah with an unchanged add rating. Shares are 3.0% lower at 2,250.00 rupiah. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0651 GMT - The dollar trades steady as investors await U.S. consumer-price inflation data at 1230 GMT, the final key data ahead of the Federal Reserve's meeting next week. The dollar rose Thursday, driven by rising oil prices and stronger-than-expected producer-price inflation figures increasing prospects of an interest-rate rise. However, even if Friday's inflation figures are strong, Fed policymakers could point to moderating core inflation and opt to hold rates steady next week, Commerzbank's Michael Pfister says. "Even if today's figure sends a clear signal, this does not necessarily mean that the Fed (and thus the dollar) will ultimately pick it up," he says. The DXY dollar index is steady at 99.051, having risen to 99.199 on Thursday. (jessica.fleetham@wsj.com)

0630 GMT - HD Hyundai Marine Solution stands to benefit from an expanding engine-maintenance market fueled by the artificial intelligence boom, says NH Investment & Securities analyst Y.S. Jung. The analyst expects revenue and earnings from the company's engine-maintenance services to rise cumulatively from 2028, citing sibling shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' plan to more than double its production capacity for HiMSEN engines to power AI data centers. HD Hyundai Marine Solution's operating profit from engine-maintenance services could reach 90.1 billion won by 2030, with earnings growth likely to continue thereafter, he adds. NH raises its target price for the company to 310,000 won from 280,000 won and keeps a buy rating. Shares are 8.1% higher at 248,000 won. (kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com)

0607 GMT - Artificial-intelligence-driven growth for Sumitomo Bakelite's encapsulants--used to protect semiconductors--isn't fully priced in, SMBC Nikko Securities analysts say in a research report. Markets have yet to completely factor in ramp-up in the company's encapsulant shipment volumes related to next-generation graphics processing units and higher average selling prices from an improving product mix, the analysts say. AI data centers and physical AI are expected to be key growth drivers for the Japanese semiconductor materials manufacturer's encapsulants. The brokerage upgrades the stock's rating to outperform from neutral and raises the target price to 10,200 yen from Y7,100. Shares are 2.1% higher at Y7,667. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0535 GMT - Chervon shares surge after the company appointed Joseph Galli Jr. as its new chief executive. The Hong Kong-listed power-tools maker's stock rises as much as 27% to 25.30 Hong Kong dollars, the highest intraday level since February. Galli is a former chief executive of Techtronic Industries, a direct competitor in the outdoor-product equipment space to Chervon, say Citi analysts in a note. His appointment is likely drawing attention as investors could be interested in his upcoming strategy, which could lead to a rerating in the near term, they say. Citi reiterates its buy rating and HK$28.00 target price on Chervon. Shares are last 18% higher at HK$23.64, on track for their largest one-day percentage gain since 2024. (megan.cheah@wsj.com)

0532 GMT - BPX is central to British energy major BP's growth story, Barclays analyst Lydia Rainforth writes after hosting the division's CEO Kyle Koontz at the Barclays Energy-Power Conference. The U.S. onshore oil and gas business delivered around 545,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day in the second quarter of the year, making a significant contribution to BP's overall production. As production has ramped up, BPX has improved capital efficiency by around 35% since 2023, while unit costs are down around 10%, she writes. Koontz indicated that BPX is ahead of its production growth objectives as it targets production of above 650,000 oil equivalent barrels a day by 2030, Rainforth said.(adam.whittaker@wsj.com)

0510 GMT - Rohto Pharmaceutical's earnings for this fiscal year may beat its full-year guidance on strong sales momentum for its mainstay brands in Japan and overseas, Nomura analysts say in a research report. Its earnings are likely to stay robust as Nomura sees tailwinds for the pharmaceutical company's distinctive high-quality, affordable products from growth in the dermocosmetics market and consumers trading down in response to inflation. The brokerage lifts this fiscal year's operating-profit forecast for the Japanese company to 46.5 billion yen from Y45.7 billion. It raises the stock's target price to 3,650.0 yen from Y3,300.0 with an unchanged buy rating. Shares are 0.4% lower at Y2,791.5. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0504 GMT - AI semiconductor suppliers are likely to outpace broader cloud spending growth through 2028, as demand for advanced chip packaging remains strong despite expectations for data center investment to moderate, according to Morgan Stanley. The bank expects aggregate advanced packaging capacity to grow about 50% in 2028, even as cloud service provider capital expenditure rises a more modest 12%. Larger AI chip designs and growing use of advanced packaging for CPUs and networking processors are expected to support demand, while supply chain checks point to continued expansion by TSMC and its partners. The report also sees AI custom chip activity as robust, helped by new industry partnerships and inference-related deployments.