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

0839 ET - General Mills' turnaround aims to cut costs and launch new products that better resonate with today's consumers. The Cheerios maker is on track to deliver $750 million in savings this year, as the company works to modernize operations, retool its supply chain and become more flexible, CEO Jeff Harmening says in prepared earnings remarks. At the same time, General Mills is fully focused on introducing new products that address shoppers' interest in things like healthy ingredients and bold flavors. "We've also stepped up our marketing game, bringing in new agency partners, building a next-generation content studio, and doubling our use of influencers to maximize our reach and engagement," COO Dana McNabb says. The company is seeing early progress from these initiatives and expects strong results ahead, she adds. (connor.hart@wsj.com)

0834 ET - Deutsche Bank's investment banking division is likely to post flat or slightly lower revenue in the third quarter, the group's chief financial officer says. Raja Akram tells a Bank of America conference that revenue growth would slow in the third quarter compared to the first half of 2026. The bank's dealmaking team would see weaker leveraged finance activity, the CFO says. However, stronger activity across M&A, equity capital markets and debt capital markets would support revenues, the CFO adds. Deutsche Bank shares fall 3.1% following Akram's comments. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)

0809 ET - RBC says that while Life Sciences remains automation company ATS's primary focus, its radiopharma sub-segment, which covers diagnostics, therapeutics and radioisotopes, is emerging as an important growth driver. Analyst Sabahat Khan says in a note that ATS has historically been involved with diagnostics, and that isotope production automation is a near-term opportunity. Longer-term, Khan sees pharmaceutical automation for approved therapies--such as smaller batch, decentralized production requiring intense automation given the therapies are hazardous to operators--as a "potentially larger opportunity." (adriano.marchese@wsj.com)

0804 ET - European banks are likely to keep up their strong performance over the next year, S&P Global Ratings analysts say at a media briefing event in London. Banks' profitability is expected to increase in 2027, as higher central-bank rates boost interest revenue, the analysts say. Additionally, operating costs are expected to remain modest as banks continue to adopt efficient technology, they say.(miriam.mukuru@wsj.com)

0743 ET - European indexes turn negative after initially opening higher, as an upturn in oil prices weighs on sentiment. Banks and technology stocks lose their early momentum to trade lower, with the Europe-wide Stoxx 600 falling 0.5%. London's FTSE 100 slips 0.2%, while the French CAC 40 drops 0.3%. Losses are most heavy for the German DAX, with the energy-sensitive index dropping 0.8%. Chip maker Infineon Technologies drops 2.7%, while autos in the index also slide. Insurer Allianz loses 3.3%, as companies that benefit from consumer inertia fall on investor concern around the impact of AI agents. The Italian FTSE MIB and Spanish IBEX 35 both drop by 0.6%. The Dutch AEX is 0.5% lower.(josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)

0728 ET - WPP CFO Joanne Wilson's decision to step down to join Diageo might have come as a surprise at the U.K. advertising group, Bernstein analysts say. Wilson--who joined WPP in 2023--has a 12-month notice period and will stay in her current role until a successor has been appointed, the company said. WPP will probably want to be well down the road of identifying a new CFO before releasing her, Bernstein says. WPP shares fall 0.4%, while Diageo's rise 0.1%. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)

0711 ET - WPP is losing CFO Joanne Wilson to booze giant Diageo less than one year into a three-year turnaround program, which isn't ideal, Citi analysts say in a research note. Wilson's 12-month notice period should give the U.K. advertising group sufficient time to find a successor, the analysts say. "We believe while investors may have preferred Joanne remain on her role, the market will likely view the move to Diageo as understandable, given the relative size of the companies and Joanne's previous experience," Citi says. WPP shares trade broadly flat, while Diageo's are up slightly. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)

0702 ET - Diageo's top brass should now remain more or less stable, analysts at Bernstein write after the drinks group named a new finance chief. Joanne Wilson, currently chief financial officer at ad firm WPP, will take the reins from Nik Jhangiani next year, furthering a shift in leadership that began with former Tesco boss Dave Lewis taking over as CEO of the Guinness maker at the start of this year and continued with other changes including at the top of the group's North America business. "This is arguably the biggest leadership change at Diageo since Sir Dave took over," Bernstein says. "While we would not rule out one or two more changes to come, we expect broad stability in the senior leadership team from here on in." Diageo shares trade slightly lower in London's morning trading following the news. (joshua.kirby@wsj.com; @joshualeokirby)

0626 ET - European companies' earnings will continue to grow, with the potential of semiconductor and financial stocks on the continent especially underappreciated by investors, UBS strategist Gerry Fowler writes. "Growth is priced too cheaply, especially where estimates are still rising," Fowler writes. Banks, pharmaceuticals and industrial goods sectors--which together dominate the Stoxx 600--are expanding, which in turn should drive equities higher, the strategist says. Bond yields on the continent have likely peaked, potentially turning the tide on "the single biggest drag" on European valuations this year. "If that headwind stalls, the lid comes off an earnings-led rally," Fowler writes. The Stoxx 600 slips 0.2%. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)

0622 ET - China's AI development is moving from policy ambition to commercial reality, BofA Securities says in a research note. "Domestic capabilities and adoption are advancing despite gaps in leading-edge hardware, while improvements in model efficiency and system optimization could support commercial viability before full technological self-sufficiency," the bank says. Tech progress and high-profile listings could expand China's "investable AI universe," it adds. This offers diverse business opportunities across the domestic AI industry and global supply chains, BofA says. (tracy.qu@wsj.com)

0616 ET - Norges Bank's rate decision on Thursday is highly uncertain, but a hike remains the most likely outcome, Handelsbanken's Norway chief economist Marius Gonsholt Hov writes. Views are divided on whether the key policy rate will be raised, but Handelsbanken leans towards an increase to 4.50%, which would be in line with the signals from Norges Bank's June report, it says. While core inflation has been lower than Norges Bank expected over the past three months, wage growth remains clearly too high. At the same time, international policy rate expectations have risen considerably, he adds. The new rate path will probably be revised slightly lower at the short end, but somewhat higher a bit further out, the bank says. (dominic.chopping@wsj.com)

0615 ET - Adyen's appointment of a new chief financial officer clears up uncertainty, ING's Thymen Rundberg writes in a note. The Amsterdam-based payments provider named Niclas Neglen, who joins from online-payments company Klarna, as its next finance chief. "The appointment removes uncertainty around the permanent CFO position following the departure of Ethan Tandowsky earlier this year," Rundberg says. Additionally, Neglen appears to be a solid fit given his previous experience, particularly in his recent role as CFO at Klarna. Shares are down 1.7% at 887.20 euros.