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

2130 ET - Natural gas should increasingly be considered a fuel of last resort rather than a bridging fuel as countries set out to meet ambitious COP26 targets, says Emma Richards, senior oil and gas analyst at Fitch Solutions. The emissions reductions offered by natural gas may not be as much as initially thought, and investing in the fuel means spending on infrastructure that tends to be long-lived. This creates risks around path dependency and carbon lock-in, potentially diverting funding away from other low-carbon or zero-emissions alternatives, Richards reckons. Gas was more widely accepted as a bridging fuel a decade ago. Now, "it's not enough that it's less emissions-intensive; it has to be the least emissions-intensive option available." (farah.elias@wsj.com)

2116 ET - Genting Bhd. is expected to turn profitable in 4Q, after two consecutive quarters of losses, supported by the recovery of casino businesses in Malaysia and Singapore, says Hong Leong Investment Bank. The group witnessed a strong return of local visitors to its Malaysia hilltop resort following the easing of lockdown measures, while Singapore is progressively easing its border restrictions for more countries. Hong Leong says this bodes well for its Singapore operation, which relies heavily on international visitors. Hong Leong keeps a buy rating and MYR5.65 target price. Shares are 2.2% lower at MYR4.83. (chester.tay@wsj.com)

2116 ET - Rarely has there been a bigger disconnect between RBA policy guidance and pricing for interest rate increases by the bond market. The RBA says it could be 2024 before the cash rate rises, yet the bond market has around three rate increases priced in for 2022. Head of research at RBC Capital Markets, Su-Lin Ong, says it is the market that will need to reprice, especially for 2022, but it may take time before the capitulation comes, as other major central banks are tightening, Australia's economic recovery in 2022 is likely to be strong, and inflation concerns globally aren't going away. The RBA wants wages to grow at a much faster rate before tightening. That will take time. (james.glynn@wsj.com ; @JamesGlynnWSJ)

2051 ET - Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index falls 1.8% to 24300.97 in early trade amid broad selling, on course for the biggest one-day percentage loss since early October. Concerns about a potential acceleration of the Fed's withdrawal of monetary support are weighing on sentiment, KGI Securities says. Several sizable IPOs will start share offering soon, which may absorb liquidity from the market, it says, and expects the local market to consolidate today. Losses are being led by casino stocks, with Galaxy Entertainment slipping 4.0% and Sands China losing 3.8%. Meituan, which is due to release results today, is 2.8% lower. Fantasia Holdings sheds 2.9% after it said a winding-up petition was filed against one of its main subsidiaries.(clarence.leong@wsj.com)

2046 ET - Oil slips in early Asia trade as the resurgence of Covid-19 in Europe and pandemic-related restrictions in European countries could weaken demand for the commodity. The potential for more European countries to go into lockdown has intensified market speculation about weaker demand, CBA says. Lockdowns are especially negative for oil demand because transportation accounts for two‑thirds of global oil consumption, CBA says. For next week, markets are likely to pay attention to the OPEC+ meeting, where the group will decide oil production plans for January, the bank says. Front-month WTI crude oil futures down 1.7% at $77.06/bbl. Front-month Brent crude oil futures down 1.2% at $81.22/bbl. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

2041 ET - Chinese stocks are broadly lower in early trade, tracking declines among other Asian equities amid worries of a new Covid-19 variant. The Shanghai Composite Index falls 0.4% to 3570.05, the Shenzhen Composite Index is 0.2% lower at 2508.00 and the ChiNext Price Index adds 0.1% to 3479.45. Mining stocks are among the worst performers, following comments by China's National Development and Reform Commission on Thursday that coal inventory at power plants is expected to hit an all-time high by end-November due to increasing coal supplies. Yanzhou Coal Mining Co. declines 5.2%, while China Coal Energy slips 1.5%. (justina.lee@wsj.com)

2016 ET - Malaysia's stock benchmark Kuala Lumpur Composite Index falls 0.2% to 1514.56, amid concerns of rising Covid-19 cases domestically as the government relaxes restrictions, says Malacca Securities. Sentiment is also weighed by weaker-than-expected quarterly corporate results, which were hit by Malaysia's renewed lockdown during 3Q, the brokerage adds. Genting Bhd. is down 1.4%, IOI Corp. falls 1.1% and Genting Malaysia declines 1.0%. Hap Seng Consolidated gains 1.7% and Tenaga Nasional rises 1.0%. (chester.tay@wsj.com)

2016 ET - Singapore's FTSE Straits Times Index falls 0.8% to 3195.60, tracking weakness in regional equity markets. Investor sentiment appears to have been weighed by worries over higher inflation and faster Fed tapering, Phillip Securities Research says. Losses on the STI are led by travel and leisure stocks. Singapore Airlines slips 1.7% and Genting Singapore drops 2.4%. Other top decliners include Jardine Matheson Holdings, which falls 2.5%. CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust sheds 1.8% while Keppel DC REIT adds 0.4%. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

1929 ET - South Korea's Kospi is 0.3% lower at 2971.72 in early trade, as investors continue to digest the second Bank of Korea interest-rate increase in three months. Aviation stocks are lower on concerns that rising Covid-19 cases in South Korea and elsewhere could slow a recovery in travel. Asiana Airlines declines 1.3% and Korean Air Lines slips 0.5%. Investors have also reacted to some corporate changes in the tech industry. Kakao declines 0.4% after it appointed co-CEO Yeo Min-soo for another four-year term. LG Electronics is 0.8% higher after it promoted its chief strategy officer to become its new CEO to focus on digital transformation. (justina.lee@wsj.com)

1918 ET - Japan's Nikkei Stock Average falls 1.3% to 29112.04, weighed by lingering concerns over resurgence of Covid-19 and restrictions in Europe, inflation in the U.S. and the yen's strength, although trading could be somewhat thin owing to the Thanksgiving holiday. Losses on the benchmark index are led by a mixed bag of companies with Asahi Kasei falling 2.7%, Minebea Mitsumi dropping 3.0% and Komatsu 2.8% lower. Meanwhile, Olympus rises 1.3% and Kobe Bussan gains 2.2%. USD/JPY is at 114.97 compared with 115.37 at Thursday's Tokyo stock market close. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

1842 ET - Japan's Nikkei Stock Average may fall amid lingering concerns over Covid-19 in Europe and mild strength of the yen, although trading could be somewhat subdued owing to the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. The risk of pandemic-related lockdowns and restrictions hasn't passed so this continues to weigh, Oanda says. Nikkei futures are down 145 points at 29390 on SGX. USD/JPY is at 115.16 compared with 115.37 at Thursday's Tokyo stock market close. The Nikkei Stock Average closed 0.7% higher at 29499.28 on Thursday. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

1803 ET - Kogan.com's reinvestment strategy has materially lifted the retailer's operating expenses and is likely to continue, UBS says. The investment bank notes that Kogan's monthly operating expenses hit A$15 million in October, up 9% on 1Q of its 2022 fiscal year, despite a reduction in warehousing costs on lower inventory levels. It sees Kogan investing to support sales growth and increased premium memberships among customers. UBS maintains a neutral rating and A$10.00 target price on the stock, which last traded at A$8.49. (stuart.condie@wsj.com; @StuartLCondie)