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

1249 ET – North American freight-railroad traffic rises 2.8% for the week ended Saturday, marking a second straight weekly gain. Carloads rise 3.8% on 12 reporting US, Canadian and Mexican railroads, while the volume of intermodal units rises 1.7%, data from the Association of American Railroads shows. In a research note, analysts at Evercore ISI say volume growth is building momentum in the U.S., with both CSX and Norfolk Southern running at highs of the year, but they add that a holiday week, and recovery in December, will help determine whether service improvements are resulting in more sustainable share gains. North American rail traffic is down 3.1% for the first 46 weeks of the year, AAR says. ([email protected])