The latest Market Talks covering Financial Services. Exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.

1016 ET - Just over one in five U.S. home sellers with active listings cut their asking price during the four weeks ending Sept. 20, according to Redfin. That's up only slightly from a year earlier, when 19.8% of sellers dropped their price. Price drops are only becoming more common in the face of the strongest buyer's market on record--a sign that many would-be sellers are waiting to put their home on the market and others are delisting if they don't get their asking price, Redfin says. Additionally, some sellers have adjusted their expectations and are pricing realistically from the start. Those who sell their homes quickly are the ones who are getting savvier about pricing right from day one, Redfin says. A price cut is a sign that the initial price was too ambitious, Redfin says. (chris.wack@ws.com)

0827 ET - Bitcoin's recent rise to a near eight-month high largely reflected exchange-traded funds inflows but demand is now thinning, CoinMarketCap's Alice Liu says in a note. "ETF buys are a major driver for the recent price rally above $87k, with over $2.4 billion inflows in within a week." However, eight straight sessions of inflows read as $999 million, $715 million, $347 million, $191 million, $135 million, then $31 million on Monday, she says. Bitcoin rises 0.2% to $83,807 after reaching a high of $87,315 on Sep. 21, according to LSEG. In the past three months it has strengthened 39%. CoinMarketCap expects it to reach $80,000-$95,000 by year-end if the Federal Reserve keeps interest rates unchanged. (renae.dyer@wsj.com)

0744 ET - KBC Group investors might be overly cautious by waiting for a single catalyst this year, Jefferies' Theo Massing and Joseph Dickerson write. Investor pushback against Jefferies' initiation of KBC coverage with a buy recommendation has focused on timing and not earnings risk, the analysts note. Investors broadly accept KBC has resilient earnings, a quality franchise and structural central and eastern Europe growth. Jefferies notes that it still prefers ABN AMRO Bank to KBC. "However, investors may be setting the bar too high by waiting for a single end-2026 catalyst," the analysts say. Jefferies has a target price of 155 euros on the stock. Shares are down 0.4% at 130.80 euros. (michael.hennessey@wsj.com)

0725 ET - Julius Baer Gruppe's valuation remains undemanding compared to the wider sector after the end of a probe by Switzerland's financial regulator, Citi's Nicholas Herman writes. The regulator, Finma, ended its enforcement proceedings on Tuesday, and the Swiss bank requested approval to restart share buybacks. "In our view, these are important catalysts, not only because they should allow the bank to deploy its significant surplus capital, but also because they provide a tangible signal that regulatory relations are improving," Citi says. Citi reiterates its buy stock recommendation and says the business should be more attractive to investors. Shares are down 1.2%. (michael.hennessey@wsj.com)

0645 ET - Higher eurozone interest rates could be beneficial for European banks, UBS Investment Bank analysts say in a note. The European Central Bank is projected to raise interest rates further over the coming months due to inflation concerns given high oil prices and supply chain disruptions, they say. Markets fully price in three more ECB rate rises by mid-2027, in addition to the two rate hikes delivered this year, LSEG data show. "We do expect slightly higher euro rates and for bank hedges to benefit from better-than-budgeted swap rates." (miriam.mukuru@wsj.com)

0638 ET - Paris-listed banks underperformed the broader European financials sector after inflation in France rose by more than expected in September. French inflation rose to 3% on year in September, up from 2.4% in August. Meanwhile, household consumption data showed French consumer spending on goods fell by 0.5% in volume terms in August, ING's senior economist Charlotte de Montpellier notes. Given investor concern around the 2027 French legislative elections, "France's risk premium is likely to remain elevated in the coming months," De Montpellier writes. BNP Paribas falls 2%, while Societe Generale and Credit Agricole drop 2.3% and 1%, respectively. A basket of European banks falls 0.2%.(josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)

0633 ET - European banks could gain from the acceleration in eurozone corporate borrowing, UBS Investment Bank analysts say in a note. UBS analysis suggests that the eurozone could be "in the early stages of a large re-leveraging of the private sector", they say. "Accelerating corporate borrowing is a catalyst for a more upbeat outlook." This trend could indicate better European banking growth than valuations suggest, the analysts say. (miriam.mukuru@wsj.com)

0538 ET - Assicurazioni Generali's unusually strong share price performance means the stock is now fully valued, Jefferies' Philip Kett and Derald Goh write. The Italian insurer's earnings expectations and valuation multiple have been transformed since the start of 2024, Jefferies says. There are also some minor headwinds which could weigh on the stock in the near future, the analysts add, including a worsening retail pricing outlook in non-life insurance. However, Jefferies retains its positive view of the strategy. The re-rating leads Jefferies to cut its stock recommendation to hold from buy, but increase the target price to 38 euros from 28.50 euros. Shares are down 0.4% at 43.33 euros but have risen 21% year to date. (michael.hennessey@wsj.com)

0533 ET - China's central bank may still prefer targeted, low-profile credit easing over broad-based monetary stimulus through policy rate and reserve-requirement-ratio reductions, Barclays says in a research note. "While Chinese yuan strength has eased some external constraints, record-low bank net interest margins leave limited room for further rate cuts," it writes. Policy easing has historically compressed net interest margins, as lending rates linked to the loan prime rate reprice lower quickly, Barclays notes. "Policymakers appear increasingly concerned that excessively low rates could undermine financial stability and weaken monetary transmission." (tracy.qu@wsj.com)

0514 ET - Commerzbank's share price upside is limited by uncertainty around the German bank's future strategy, Deutsche Bank's Benjamin Goy writes. Recent outperformance by the company means many of its key catalysts have either played out or are now better understood, Goy says. These include rising net interest income, large capital returns and improving sentiment on Germany. The stock is trading at a modest premium to the sector, Deutsche Bank says, even following an additional earnings-per-share upgrade. Deutsche Bank downgrades the stock to a hold recommendation with an unchanged target price of 42 euros. There are better stocks than Commerzbank to benefit from higher interest rates, the analyst adds. Shares are down 2.3% at 41.01 euros. (michael.hennessey@wsj.com)

0500 ET - A suite of new product launches by Robinhood represents a significant strategic acceleration for the company, Deutsche Bank's Brian Bedell writes. At a company summit in Houston, the brokerage said it will use AI to help build users' investment strategies and eventually to place trades on behalf of users. The launches will "provide institutional-grade tools to Robinhood's retail user base," Bedell writes. The changes aim to equip traders for the turn to 24/7 trading, the analyst says. Robinhood shares rise 2.35% premarket.(josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)

0359 ET - The scope of China's newly announced mortgage subsidies likely disappointed the market, Julius Baer's Richard Tang says in a note. While the mortgage interest subsidy program was widely expected by the market, the actual scope likely falls short of expectations, as the program is restricted to a small subset of housing types and transactions, he writes. The analyst estimates that only 20%-25% of housing deals will qualify, mostly in lower-tier cities, resulting in marginal effect to investments. "For the equity market, we believe the absence of a policy surprise may extend the weak market sentiment and a year-end rally is much less likely to happen," he adds. Julius Baer continues to favor artificial-intelligence hardware and dividend stocks in China.