The latest Market Talks covering Financial Services. Exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.
1416 ET - Following Monday's announcement that Mubadala Capital would buy Clear Channel Outdoor, Anson Funds portfolio manager Sagar Gupta says, "We congratulate the Board on taking this critical step towards value maximization and look forward to watching the go-shop process unfold." Gupta leads activism strategy at Anson, which owned a 3.67% stake in Clear Channel as of Sept. 30. Bloomberg reported in September that Anson was pushing for a sale. Before Anson, Gupta was at Legion Partners, which in 2023 called for Clear Channel to consider options including a sale. Clear Channel and Legion eventually reached a cooperation agreement. Mubadala, in a partnership with TWG Global, agreed to pay $2.43 a share for Clear Channel in a deal with a $6.2 billion enterprise value. Clear Channel surges 8% to $2.37. (josh.beckerman@wsj.com)
1123 ET - U.K. pension funds and insurance companies show solid demand for Alphabet's 100-year maturity sterling bond with the book size reportedly at 9.5 billion pounds ($13.0 billion), CreditSights analyst Alex Lawrence says. "U.K. pension funds and insurers viewed [the bond] as a good opportunity to increase technology exposure within portfolios," Lawrence says. Even with increased debt issuance, Alphabet's credit metrics remain excellent, he says. "The company has high-quality durable assets, and is executing extremely well in AI across the entire stack." (miriam.mukuru@wsj.com)
1016 ET - The sterling bond market is favorable for long-term bond issuers due to consistent demand from U.K. pensions and insurance companies, eToro analyst Lale Akoner says. The comment comes as U.S. tech giant Alphabet on Tuesday is selling a 100-year maturity sterling bond. "The sterling market is one of the few places where 50-year to 100-year bonds consistently find buyers," she says. "Issuing in sterling allows Alphabet to diversify its funding base" Akoner says. (miriam.mukuru@wsj.com)
0914 ET - U.S. tech giant Alphabet is tapping U.K. insurance and pensions funds with its sale of a 100-year sterling bond, Federated Hermes' Nachu Chockalingam says in a note. Alphabet is seeking new sources of funding outside the U.S. market due to rising corporate debt supply in the U.S., Chockalingam says. (miriam.mukuru@wsj.com)
0851 ET - Investors are overestimating the disruption that artificial intelligence will cause to software stocks, analysts at J.P. Morgan write. "The market is pricing in worst-case AI disruption scenarios that are unlikely to materialize over the next three to six months." A rebound for software stocks is more likely than not, with opportunities particularly in AI-resilient companies, the analysts say. The longer-term underperformance of software stocks represents the largest one-year fall outside of a recession in over 30 years, the analysts say, wiping around $2 trillion off stock prices. European software stocks--particularly data vendors--fall further in afternoon trade, with London Stock Exchange Group down 5.6%, extending losses of over 20% in 2026 to yesterday's close. Experian falls 2.8%, while Relx drops 1.5%. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)
0622 ET - Shares in Apollo Global Management jump 2.3% premarket after the company said it poached Standard Chartered CFO Diego De Giorgi to head its operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. De Giorgi will oversee expansion in the firm's offering to wealthy individuals and retirement savers in the region, Apollo says. The move comes after the company posted a 13% increase in adjusted fourth-quarter earnings Monday. CEO Marc Rowan said the company would increasingly seek investment from private investors, including retirement savers, outside of its traditional institutional base. Shares in lender Standard Chartered fall 4.8% on De Giorgi's exit. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)
0352 ET - Mediobanca's latest earnings look unexciting and its guidance is vague, but a potential delisting after Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena acquired majority control is still at the top of investors' minds, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods's Hugo Cruz and Ben Maher say in a research note. The results are slightly below expectations, but the market is waiting for more clarity from Monte dei Paschi's business plan, the analysts say. In particular, investors want to know whether Mediobanca will be delisted, which KBW continues to see as the end game. Monte Paschi separately said it is due to present its business plan for the combination with Mediobanca on Feb. 27. Mediobanca shares rise 1.5%. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)
0339 ET - Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena's fourth-quarter results look slightly disappointing, although the inclusion of Mediobanca blurs the picture, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' Hugo Cruz and Ben Maher say in a research note. This was the first quarter of consolidation of Mediobanca within Monte Paschi's earnings and many one-off items related to the acquisition led to a messy set of results, the analysts say. Where comparisons are possible, though, the Italian bank's earnings missed expectations, they say. Net interest income fell short of consensus estimates, fees were also lower than expected and operating expenses were higher, according to KBW. Net profit was just shy of consensus views, KBW says. Shares fall 1.9%. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)
0334 ET - Europe's blue-chip indexes open largely down as a rally in Asian stocks fails to extend to the continent. The French CAC 40 is one climber, gaining 0.5% as key luxury stocks rally. Kering surges just shy of 14% as sale trends pick up. In Milan, the FTSE MIB falls 0.3% despite gains for luxuries--Brunello Cucinelli is up 3%--as banks decline, with Banca MPS down 3.05% after earnings. Banks also drag Germany's DAX down 0.2%, with Allianz falling 2.5%. Automakers and chemicals companies in the index gain, however. In the U.K., oil supermajor BP tumbles 4.4% after pausing its share buyback program, while Standard Chartered is down 4.2% after the unexpected departure of its chief financial officer. The FTSE 100 slips 0.3%. Spain's IBEX 35 declines 0.2%, with financial stocks weighing on the index. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)
0324 ET - DBS Group's subdued earnings outlook keeps Macquarie Capital's Jayden Vantarakis bearish on the stock. The Singapore lender expects flat revenue and slightly lower earnings this year, he notes. The lender's strong wealth segment performance is already known, and its asset quality and trading assumptions offer little room for consensus estimates upgrades, the analyst says. He trims his 2026-2027 earnings per share projections by 2.0%-4.0% to reflect DBS's softer-than-expected 4Q results. Macquarie Capital cuts its target price to S$48.67 from S$50.00 while maintaining its underperform rating. Shares fall 0.65% to S$57.81. (megan.cheah@wsj.com)
0244 ET - Barclays's profitability target for 2028 is ahead of consensus expectations and should lead to an upgrade in conservative earnings per share assumptions, J.P.Morgan Cazenove says in a research note. The British bank targets a return on tangible equity, or ROTE, of more than 14%, which is ahead of the 13.5% return penciled in by consensus. Guidance for revenue growth of more than 5% a year implies 34 billion pounds in 2028--ahead of consensus' 33 billion pounds, analysts write. "We believe that the group's plan is achievable in the current economic environment with the potential for Barclays to become a 15% ROTE bank over time," they add. (elena.vardon@wsj.com)
0226 ET - The departure of Standard Chartered's CFO came as a surprise to Morningstar's Kathy Chan, who thinks the abrupt transition will likely trigger investors concerns. The bank's Hong Kong-listed stock fell over 6% after StanChart said it had named Peter Burrill as interim finance chief. Chan views Burrill as a decent candidate for the interim role, given his experience at Deutsche Bank and KPMG. Burrill has also been with StanChart since 2017, indicating familiarity with the group's operations and the management team, the analyst adds. With near-term focus set on completing a restructuring program, Chan expects Burrill to continue to deliver on the targets, with limited operational impact. "This should allow some breathing room for the bank to search for a suitable candidate for the permanent role." Shares down 2.3% at HK$197.40. (kimberley.kao@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 10, 2026 16:50 ET (21:50 GMT)
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