The latest Market Talks covering the Health Care sector. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.

1312 GMT - Nonfarm payroll employment jumped by a hotter-than-expected 165,000 in October, led by gains in professional and business services as well as healthcare. The pro and business services sector added 70,000 jobs, well above its 12-month average. That includes an increase of 33,000 for in professional, scientific and technical services and a 28,000-job jump for administrative, support, and waste management services. Healthcare wasn't far behind with 42,000 jobs added, driven by hospitals, home healthcare services and outpatient care centers. (dean.seal@wsj.com)

1408 GMT - Healthcare stocks are falling across the board, with losses triggered by investors seeking to lock in gains following a recent rally as they reassess the outlook for U.S. healthcare policy after the Democratic sweep in the midterm elections, Saxo Bank's Ruben Dalfovo says. Healthcare was Europe's strongest-performing sector last month, which made it vulnerable to profit-taking, the investment strategist says. With Democrats taking control of both chambers of Congress, pharmaceutical companies could face greater political scrutiny, even if hospitals and insurers with significant exposure to Medicaid could benefit from efforts to preserve healthcare coverage, Dalfovo says. "The key message is that healthcare remains a relatively defensive sector, but defensive does not mean immune to corrections." The Stoxx Europe 600 Health Care falls 2.4%. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)

1301 GMT - The main trigger for losses across European healthcare stocks is the panic that is gripping the broader market, but worries about the industry's pricing power after the U.S. midterm elections are lurking in the background, eToro's Maximilian Wienke says. Leveraged market participants are coming under pressure and might be forced to sell healthcare and pharmaceutical stocks to secure liquidity as capital flows out of equities into safe-haven assets, Wienke says. However, investors also fear that drugmakers' pricing power could come under the scrutiny of a Democrat-controlled U.S. Congress, which could weigh on long-term profitability expectations, the analyst says. The Stoxx Europe 600 Health Care sector index falls 2.5%, while the broader Stoxx Europe 600 is down 1.6%. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)

1228 GMT - Novartis is likely to beat and raise expectations next year and beyond, as generic headwinds that held its results back over the past year start to fade, Citi analysts say in a note. With those headwinds subsiding, the Swiss drugmaker is expected to report sales growth of 9% at constant currency for 2027, with a core operating margin of 39.9%, close to its 2029 target of 40%, according to Citi. Over the 2025-30 period, the company is expected to post annual sales growth of 5.3%, the analysts say. Citi raises its target price on Novartis's stock to 150 Swiss francs from 135 francs. Shares fall 2.5% to 130.84 francs. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)

1008 GMT - Big pharmaceutical companies' third-quarter results were generally well received by investors, but stretched valuations at all-time highs mean the market is turning more cautious, RBC Capital Markets analysts say in a note. Pharma stocks have been buoyed in recent weeks as investors moved away from technology and other growth sectors toward more defensive trades, RBC says. "After delivering another strong quarter, the key question is whether pharma can sustain momentum at these elevated valuations or whether a shift in market sentiment, with generalist and crossover investors rotating back toward growth and technology, triggers a meaningful pullback," the analysts say. The sector's underlying strengths remain intact, they add. The Stoxx Europe 600 Health Care sector index is down 2.3%, while the broader Stoxx Europe 600 index falls 1.2%. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)

1005 GMT - Healthcare stocks are being caught up in the wider market selloff, possibly hit by investors taking profits on recent gains in the sector, Wealth Club's Susannah Streeter says. The Stoxx Europe 600 Health Care index is down 2.1%, making it one of the worst-performing sector indexes. The Stoxx Europe 600 falls 0.9%. Investors are reassessing valuations and reducing exposure across the board, Streeter says. Healthcare and pharmaceutical stocks have made strides in recent weeks, so some investors might be cashing in to help cover losses elsewhere in their portfolios, she adds. Roche, Novartis, AstraZeneca, GSK and Sanofi are all down around 2% or more.