Market Talks covering the impact of U.S. Politics and White House policies on companies and markets. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.

2204 ET - Prices of Brent crude oil above $105 per barrel are becoming a broader headwind for assets including equities and precious metals, OCBC Group Research's Christopher Wong says in a research report. Currencies of Asia ex-Japan countries, especially net energy importers like India's rupee, and "high beta" currencies like the Australian dollar and the Korean won have come under some pressure, the FX strategist says.The U.S. dollar edges 0.2% lower to 1,347.30 won, while the Australian dollar is 0.1% higher at US$0.7159, LSEG data show. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

1519 ET - President Trump's proposed $5,000 dividend payments to Americans, should the GOP keep control of Congress after the midterms, would increase the national debt by $1.85 trillion and fuel higher inflation, the National Taxpayers Union's Brandon Arnold says in a statement. "These dividend payments would worsen, not improve, our affordability challenges," he says. Those payments would paper over the country's economic problems and create conditions that would likely lead the Fed to raising interest rates, Arnold says. "Americans cannot afford more borrowing and another round of out-of-control inflation," he says. (dean.seal@wsj.com)

1335 ET - Investors in cryptocurrencies have been keenly eyeing the status of the Clarity Act, in hopes of long-awaited regulatory certainty allowing bigger players to move forward with investment plans. The legislation is currently scheduled to be the subject of a cloture vote next week, where some Democratic Senators are needed to join up with Republicans if there's any hope of passing the measure, says Zach Pandl of Greyscale Research in a note. But there are other options traders can still utilize, says Pandl who cites the GENIUS Act that established a federal framework for payment stablecoins, and other measures. Bitcoin falls 1.7%, ethereum is down 1.3%, XRP drops 4.1%, and solana slides 3.2%. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)

0422 ET - Copper extended its record-breaking rally, surging above $14,790 a metric ton as supply shortages and tariff fears continue to drive sentiment. Still, "the speed of copper's rise and the continued narrowing in backwardation reduce the confirmation from nearby fundamentals," analysts at Sucden Financial say. A narrowing in backwardation means the gap between near-term and future copper prices is getting smaller. "A sustained hold above $14,700 a ton could keep systematic and options-related buying active, although a stronger U.S. inflation print could trigger a sharper correction through higher yields and reduced liquidity." In early European trading, three-month futures on the LME tick 0.1% lower to $14,792 a ton. (giulia.petroni@wsj.com)

0239 ET - The U.S. dollar falls slightly alongside slightly lower oil prices and Treasury yields, awaiting input from Thursday's PPI and Friday's CPI data for August. "Despite higher energy prices and firm short-dated U.S. interest rates, the dollar remains soft," ING's Chris Turner says in a note. The fact that the dollar is not stronger may be attributable to both the investment environment and to developments in the U.S. dollar-Japanese yen currency pair, the global head of markets says. The DXY index falls 0.1% to 98.738.