0239 GMT - Share-market turbulence and uncertainty about the short-term investment outlook are to be expected after rapid interest-rate increases, says Shane Oliver, chief economist at Australian wealth manager AMP. Oliver says that specific issues with Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, coupled with regulators' action to protect deposits, may limit broader problems for U.S. banks but nonetheless acknowledges that wider risks are high. He adds his voice to those of other economists calling for central banks in countries including Australia to pause interest-rate increases due to the heightened risk of recession. (stuart.condie@wsj.com; @StuartLCondie)

0152 GMT - A six-week suspension at Evolution Mining's Ernest Henry mine after heavy rain could cost the company A$60 million-A$70 million in earnings, or roughly 7%-8% of its estimated FY 2023 Ebitda, Morgan Stanley analysts say in a note. Year-to-date gold-production run rates at Ernest Henry were about 85,000 ounces versus guidance of 78,400 ounces-86,600 ounces, the MS analysts say. The disruption is "likely to be circa 9,000-10,000 oz for 6 weeks, taking production to just below the bottom end of guidance," the analysts say. The FY hit to copper production is likely to be around 6,500 metric tons, they add. "We do not see this intermittent issue causing concern around the company's gearing, given ample liquidity and better-than-forecast gold prices," say the analysts. Evolution is up 1.4% at A$2.84. (rhiannon.hoyle@wsj.com; @RhiannonHoyle)

0053 GMT - Aristocrat Leisure's titles continue to outperform relative to industry bookings that appear to have flattened out, Citi analysts say in a note. The Australian gaming content and tech provider's social casino bookings continue to grow steadily, they tell clients. The analysts don't read too much into a 9% on-year decline in February bookings for Aristocrat's "Raid" role-play game, saying it is just a single month and that more data is needed. The broader role-play genre was down 23% on year over the same period, they add. Citi maintains a buy rating and A$41.20 target price on the stock. Shares are down 2.3% at A$34.75. (stuart.condie@wsj.com; @StuartLCondie)

0023 GMT - Australia shares slump in the first hour of trade amid continued concern over the implication of Silicon Valley Bank's collapse. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is down by 2.1% and on course for a third consecutive decline. Only 10 component stocks, all of them gold miners, are up as investors cut risk. The heavyweight financial sector is down by 2.7%, with shares of smaller lenders, insurers and wealth managers particularly weak. Major banks Commonwealth, Westpac, ANZ and NAB--which between them comprise about 17% of the ASX 200's market capitalization--are faring better, but still down by between 1.6% and 2.7%. Tech is the worst performing of the ASX 200's 11 sectors, down 3.5%. (stuart.condie@wsj.com; @StuartLCondie)

2345 GMT - Fineos's exposure to the Silicon Valley Bank collapse looks negative for sentiment toward the stock despite the Australian software company's assessment of it as minimal, RBC Capital Markets analyst Garry Sherriff says. He tells clients in a note that, while Fineos says it is confident of recovering deposits that represent about 7% of its last reported cash balance, he was already had a cautious view of the company's balance sheet. RBC has a last-published sector-perform rating and A$1.50 target price on the stock, which is flat at A$1.13. (stuart.condie@wsj.com; @StuartLCondie)

2251 GMT -- Australian health insurer Nib may see an opportunity for growth and diversification via its entry in the country's National Disability Insurance Scheme market, but scale will likely take some time to reach, say Macquarie analysts in a note. The investment bank says that Nib's NDIS growth is underpinned by participant growth, increased usage of plan managers, operating leverage and M&A. An independent review of the government-run NDIS, which aims to fund costs associated with disability, is a key risk, says Macqaurie. It sees that the final report due in October may result in changes in eligibility (lowering participants) to address scheme costs. (alice.uribe@wsj.com)

1849 ET - Retail Food Group's turnaround is progressing well and the stock is very attractively priced relative to its peers, Shaw & Partners analyst Danny Younis says in a note. He tells clients that the stock is trading at about a 45% discount to peers on a fiscal 2024 earnings basis. The food franchise operator has fixed and recapitalized its balance sheet for organic growth and expansion, he says. Risks remain but Younis strongly reiterates his buy recommendation and A$0.15 target price on the stock, which last traded at A$0.072. (stuart.condie@wsj.com; @StuartLCondie)

2227 GMT -- Expectations on a further 25 bps rise in the RBA's official cash rate at its April 4 policy meeting have dropped to around 10%, with money markets pricing in just 2.7 basis points of hikes. Any expectations of hikes beyond that have been removed. Call for a pause comes as markets reassess the outlook for Fed hikes this month amid the fallout ofthe SVB collapse. RBA Governor Philip Lowe said last week he has an open mind about pausing, adding that interest rates have been raised a great deal in a short period of time. Jack Chambers, interest rates strategist at ANZ, says the NAB business survey at 0030 GMT, and coming employment data will further influence bets on an April pause. For the moment, ANZ remains in the camp of hikes in April and May. (james.glynn@wsj.com)

1809 ET - Cluey is still a buy for Bell Potter analyst Olivia Hagglund despite its lower-than-expected 1H net profit and the dilutive impact of its capital raising. The online tutoring provider's 1H profit was about 37% lower than Bell Potter had forecast, on higher-than-anticipated operating expenses and amortization. Hagglund cuts her revenue forecasts for the three fiscal years through FY25 by 7%, 14% and 17% to reflect Cluey's focus on profitability. That same focus results in Ebitda forecast upgrades of 30% in FY24 and 11% in FY25. Bell Potter cuts target price by 37.5% to A$0.50. Shares last traded at A$0.17. (stuart.condie@wsj.com; @StuartLCondie)

2142 GMT - The failure of some US regional banks won't stop the FOMC from continuing with its rate hike cycle later this month, says Carol Kong, currency strategist at CBA. US inflation is too high and the previous tentative downtrend in various measures of underlying inflation has largely been revised away or reversed, she says. The Cleveland Fed's inflation nowcast suggests both headline and core inflation was strong at 0.5% on month in February. The consensus of US economists is for a 0.4% on-month lift in both headline and core inflation. An upside surprise to CPI may encourage markets to revise higher their expectations for FOMC policy and offer support to the USD, she adds. (james.glynn@wsj.com; @JamesGlynnWSJ)

0513 GMT - Australia's banks are well-capitalized, and well-positioned should a particular sector experience challenging financial circumstances, says the Australian Banking Association. The ABA says in a statement that the Australian government is closely monitoring the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in the U.S. "The SVB case in the U.S. has been brought about by a particular set of factors, including a high exposure to the tech industry." the ABA says. "Australia's banks in contrast are strong and subject to a different set of regulatory frameworks." The banking trade association adds that Australian banks have already meet the prudential regulator's "unquestionably strong" benchmarks. (alice.uribe@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires