WH Smith (LON:SMWH) high-street sale faces investor focus after TG Jones court delay
TG Jones, which bought WH Smith’s high street stores, was still waiting on a High Court
South32 Ltd (ASX:S32) share price bounce leaves June selloff intact before quarterly update
South32 Ltd entered Tuesday’s pre-open after a 1.79% rise on Monday, but the bounce did little to repair June’s damage. The miner closed at A$3.98; since June 22 it is down 4.1%,
FTSE 250 lags FTSE 100 as housebuilders pressured by mortgage drop
London had finished trading at the usual 0800-1630 BST hours when the numbers came in. The main story wasn’t the FTSE 100’s minor fall. Domestic names took the bigger hit, with mid-caps dropping harder than the FTSE’s biggest stocks. Hargreaves Lansdown’s market board was running late, with the FTSE 100 off 23.80 points at 10,484.22. The FTSE 250 dropped 132.34 points to 23,014.85. The FTSE All-Share slipped 0.26%.
Macquarie trades near record, staff plan buyup mostly off-market
Macquarie Group Ltd heads into Tuesday’s pre-open close to a record. But the A$734 million employee share plan isn’t the real figure for investors. Only A$53.3 million was actually bought on the market. The rest happened off market, meaning the exchange-traded purchase was much smaller than the full staff-share number. ASX cash trading was not open at the dateline since it was still ahead of the standard session. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sydney time on business days. June 30 isn’t on ASX’s 2026 list of named holidays.
National Grid stock climbs, £70bn grid plan exceeds market cap
National Grid plc added ground Monday, outpacing the broader London market. Investors continued to pile in, backing a regulated asset-growth pitch with a footprint that now outstrips the company's equity value. The stock was last seen at 1,255p, up 0.76%, at 15:02:06 BST. It traded between 1,239.5p and 1,257p so far today. The FTSE 100 slipped 0.06% on the same feed. Reuters said UK shares lost ground earlier after Middle East tensions weighed on sentiment.
Diageo (LON:DGE) shares edge up with traders watching cost-cut talk ahead of August update
Diageo plc climbed in London Monday, outperforming the FTSE 100 as traders looked to cost cuts and broker upgrades, setting aside lagging U.S. spirits sales. The London Stock Exchange was open as usual, with trading from 0800 to 1630 local time. Davy quoted Diageo at 1,596.00p, up 19.50p, or 1.24%, at 1401 BST with a 20-minute lag. Shares opened at 1,571.00p, hit a low of 1,556.10p, and pushed to 1,598.50p. That set a 2.7% range for the day against Friday’s close.
Lloyds (LON:LLOY) buyback questioned as mortgages drop, stock eyes 109p
Lloyds Banking Group plc shares saw a slight gain in late-morning trade in London on Monday. The move came as new data showed UK mortgage approvals dropped about 15% in May, raising questions for Lloyds, given its heavy reliance on home loans. Lloyds traded up on delayed UK quotes, with two other local bank stocks down.
Tesco trades higher as repurchase hits 59% of target, grocery share cools
Tesco PLC traded higher in London on Monday. A new buyback update showed Tesco has now executed around 59% of its planned £750 million repurchase, providing some direct per-share support as UK grocery volume figures remain mixed. London Stock Exchange was open for business, with the regular session running from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. BST. TradingHours.com confirmed the exchange was open Monday. As of 10:55 BST, the FTSE 100 was down 0.27% at 10,479.49. Tesco traded at 463.70p, up 3.80p, or 0.83%, according to delayed London South East data.
easyJet (LON:EZJ) stock trails Castlelake offer on deal terms snag
easyJet plc shares remain priced with a takeover discount, after the airline gave Castlelake access to only limited commercial information. The delayed quote showed the stock at 580.2p to sell, 580.6p to buy, off 0.51% for the day. Shares opened at 587p and closed previously at 583p. The discount figure is what investors are watching. Castlelake put forward a fourth offer at 650p a share in cash. easyJet turned it down, calling it too low, but said more access to data could bring a “more attractive proposal”.
IAG shares dip on Heathrow cost dispute, offsetting oil price drop and dividend
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA shares dropped Monday. But for investors, fuel wasn’t the only concern. The British Airways parent is trading close to its old highs, as a new dispute about who pays for Heathrow’s expansion brings attention to a costly item the company can’t hedge. IAG was last at 473.25 pence, off 9.45 pence, as of 0946 BST. Volume was 2.24 million shares. The stock is trading 3.99% under its 52-week high of 492.90 pence from June 25, but it's still up 39.5% for the year, per delayed market data.
Tesco trades higher as repurchase hits 59% of target, grocery share cools
Tesco PLC traded higher in London on Monday. A new buyback update showed Tesco has now executed around 59% of its planned £750 million repurchase, providing some direct per-share support as UK grocery volume figures remain mixed. London Stock Exchange was open for business, with the regular session running from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. BST. TradingHours.com confirmed the exchange was open Monday. As of 10:55 BST, the FTSE 100 was down 0.27% at 10,479.49. Tesco traded at 463.70p, up 3.80p, or 0.83%, according to delayed London South East data.
easyJet (LON:EZJ) stock trails Castlelake offer on deal terms snag
easyJet plc shares remain priced with a takeover discount, after the airline gave Castlelake access to only limited commercial information. The delayed quote showed the stock at 580.2p to sell, 580.6p to buy, off 0.51% for the day. Shares opened at 587p and closed previously at 583p. The discount figure is what investors are watching. Castlelake put forward a fourth offer at 650p a share in cash. easyJet turned it down, calling it too low, but said more access to data could bring a “more attractive proposal”.
IAG shares dip on Heathrow cost dispute, offsetting oil price drop and dividend
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA shares dropped Monday. But for investors, fuel wasn’t the only concern. The British Airways parent is trading close to its old highs, as a new dispute about who pays for Heathrow’s expansion brings attention to a costly item the company can’t hedge. IAG was last at 473.25 pence, off 9.45 pence, as of 0946 BST. Volume was 2.24 million shares. The stock is trading 3.99% under its 52-week high of 492.90 pence from June 25, but it's still up 39.5% for the year, per delayed market data.
Glencore lags other miners as copper tightness doesn’t boost shares
Glencore plc ticked higher early in London on Monday, adding 0.79% to 518.75 pence in a Cboe Europe print at 09:10:56 BST. The move gave little relief to a shaky short-term trend for the big FTSE 100 commodities group. The FTSE 100 slipped 0.08% in delayed trading. What’s strange is Glencore shares dropped even though copper supply is still tight. LME cash copper finished at $13,287 a tonne on June 26, up 0.7% from a day ago. LME copper inventories slid to 336,475 tonnes from 349,225 tonnes on June 22, down 12,750 tonnes.
BP stock trails Shell after Brent rally leaves discount on debt
BP PLC ticked up on Monday. But gains lagged Shell as traders continued to give BP a weaker read, keeping a discount in place over its higher debt load, despite oil pushing higher after new U.S.-Iran strikes. BP was at 470.60 pence, gaining 1.20p, or 0.26%, as of 08:55 BST after London opened. Shell added 13p to 2,911p, up 0.45% at the same time. BP volume stood at about 2.02 million shares, only 4% of the 65-day average. Shell saw 272,110 shares change hands, roughly 3% of its 65-day average.
Rolls-Royce (LON:RR) stock steady as China A330neo deal eyes cash flow
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc ticked higher in early London trading on Monday, but the gain was modest for a stock often seen as a top test of aero-engine cash generation in Europe. By 09:04 BST, shares changed hands at 1,414.60p, up 0.60% during London’s main session, as the FTSE 100 slipped around 0.11%. China Eastern’s latest order landed with 25 A330neo widebodies on the table at a sticker price of around $9.35 billion. The jets run on Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines—so with two engines for each plane, that’s 50 installed. The filing seen by Reuters didn't break out a separate price for the engines or say anything about service contracts.
Pennant International (LON:PEN) trades higher after order book surpasses market cap
Pennant International Group plc finished the session up on Thursday in London. More action was in the volume and the spread. The London Stock Exchange runs from 0800 to 1630 local time. This update comes after the close. The AIM-listed stock finished at 28.00p, up from a previous close of 27.00p, according to Investors Chronicle data. Hargreaves Lansdown quoted a 27.00p sell and 29.00p buy, with 290,003 shares moving, market value at £13.34 million. AJ Bell matched the 27p/29p spread, showed a high trade at 29p, and listed market cap at £13.76 million.
IAG shares rise as oil drop shifts focus to fuel bill before July results
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA rose on Thursday, with the British Airways owner’s stock still trading close to last week’s high as investors repriced the fuel risk that drove its May profit warning. Hargreaves Lansdown showed IAG at a 477.30p/477.50p bid-ask after the market close, with the page showing a 10.20p, or 2.18%, rise; the same screen showed the FTSE 100 up 1.67%. The more useful number was volume. Google Finance’s delayed quote showed 11.01 million IAG shares traded against average volume of 17.75 million, a light tape for a stock sitting near a 52-week high of 492.90p.
GSK (LON:GSK) bounces, market looks at buyback ahead of Nuvalent cutoff
GSK plc shares bounced Thursday, with a UK retail broker’s page quoting them at 2,011p to sell and 2,012p to buy after closing at 1,930p. That’s roughly 4.2% higher at the midpoint against Wednesday’s close. The FTSE 100 finished up 1.67% at 10,652.87. The gain wiped out Wednesday’s loss, when GSK dropped 2.57% to finish at £19.30. Volume was 5.4 million shares, under its 50-day average of 8.0 million. The stock closed that day 15.43% below its 52-week high of £22.82 hit on Feb. 18.
£9.1 billion UK motor finance redress bill delay raises capital questions for banks
UK car loan firms got some cash-flow relief Thursday after the Financial Conduct Authority said they can delay working out or paying compensation until the Upper Tribunal wraps up. But the FCA kept the capital requirements in place. Lenders still have to flag cases, keep collecting commission data, and prep for handling complaints outside any possible scheme, with enough capital and liquidity left in their UK regulated units. The tribunal is set to take up challenges either Dec. 14-18, 2026, or Feb. 16-26, 2027. Consumer Voice, plus finance units for Volkswagen AG, Mercedes-Benz Group AG, and Crédit Agricole SA, are bringing the cases.
Velocity Composites edges higher on light volume after EBITDA cut
Velocity Composites plc traded higher in London on Thursday, but volumes stayed thin. The AIM-listed aerospace composites company was quoted at 14p, up 7.69%, and Google Finance showed just 5,560 shares had changed hands. That worked out to under £800 traded at that price. The stock jumped more than the FTSE AIM All-Share, but volume was light—about 5% of Velocity’s average, per Google Finance, which lists 105,960 shares as the average. Thin volume can whip a £7.65 million name around fast.
Newbury Racecourse (NYR) discount to book keeps wide on light volume, July races announced
Newbury Racecourse PLC traded at a steep discount to its most recent book value Thursday. The Aquis-listed racecourse operator saw little trading action, though it added more fixtures to its 2026 schedule. As of 16:06 BST, AQSE was open as usual; July 2 wasn’t among the 2026 holiday dates posted by the exchange. Shares traded at 480p on the bid, 500p ask, with the mid at 490p. Market cap stood at £16.41 million. Only one trade went through Thursday on Aquis—101 shares at 491p at 11:37 BST for £495.91.
Prudential shares fall, investors notice absence of buyback
Prudential plc traded lower late Thursday in London, giving up a bit of Wednesday’s gains. Buyback disclosures indicated the group is still retiring shares around the £10 mark. Shares were at 1,036p at 16:02 BST, off 0.38%, after swinging between 1,022.5p and 1,038p during the day. Prudential edged down 0.53% to a bid-offer of 1,034.0p/1,034.5p, underperforming the FTSE 100 Index, which gained 1.88% at 15:47 BST, according to Barclays market data.
Bay Capital shares hit 52-week high as cash shell trades above cash pile
Bay Capital Plc rose 9.1% on Thursday, taking the Main Market acquisition company back to 9.00p, the top of its 52-week range, on a tape worth less than £500 at the last-trade price. The move was small in money terms but large in percentage terms, the kind of print that matters for holders in a stock with a wide quote and little trading. The London Stock Exchange was in regular hours at the dateline, with LSE trading hours listed as 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. London time. TradingHours.com showed London on BST, GMT+1.
Anglo American (LON:AAL) share price gap persists before July production tests
Anglo American plc rose in late London trade on Thursday, but the gain did not close the discount to its early-June peak as the market weighed a fresh Teck merger step against copper output, De Beers sale risk and the July production calendar. London Stock Exchange regular hours run from 0800 to 1630 local time, putting the stock inside the main session at the 1603 BST dateline. Davy showed Anglo at 3,737p at 1602 BST, up 15p, or 0.4%, on 20-minute delayed data, with a day range of 3,661p to 3,789p. Investing.com historical data put the June 2 high at 4,239p and Monday’s close at 3,627p, meaning the stock has rebounded about 3% from Monday but is still about 11.8%
Diageo stock comes back but shares still sit nearly £1bn under Monday before update
Diageo plc recovered some ground on Thursday after two days of heavy losses. Shares in the Guinness and Johnnie Walker owner still lagged the FTSE 100 over the week. Trading in London was under way, with London Stock Exchange open for its usual July 2 hours, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. BST. Shares stood at 1,524.5p, gaining 2.76% at 15:05 BST on 20-minute delayed Davy data. Hargreaves Lansdown data showed the FTSE 100 ahead 1.25% at 10,609.03.
Fresnillo gains as silver edges higher and outlook for 2026 output heads lower
Fresnillo plc traded higher again Thursday, building on the prior day’s jump as silver rallied after U.S. jobs data pushed traders away from a fresh Fed rate hike. Shares were up 78p at 2,872p at 15:06 BST, after closing up 1.93% at £27.94 Wednesday. The FTSE 100 index was down 0.18%. Fresnillo’s stock outperformed the wider London market but still lagged silver itself. That matters for investors. Fresnillo claims to be the top silver producer globally and a major Mexican gold miner, so shares often act like a leveraged bet on silver when production risks aren't rising.
SSE (LON:SSE) shares up as £12bn grid plan puts value in focus
SSE PLC was up 1.97% at 2,433p as of 15:06 BST Thursday. National Grid plc rose 1.32% to 1,227p earlier in the afternoon. The FTSE 100 added 1.58% to 10,643.41. SSE shares are still trading about 12% lower than their 52-week high at 2,767.5p. SSE slipped 2.05% Wednesday to £23.86 as the FTSE 100 edged down 0.18%. Trading volumes came in at 2.3 million shares, below the 50-day average of 4.2 million. Volume stayed subdued Thursday, at 2.17 million according to the latest quote.
Tesco PLC shares rise as £750m buyback reaches two-thirds of plan
Tesco PLC shares rose on Thursday, beating the FTSE 100, as investors had fresh numbers to price in on a buyback that is now doing more work than the sales line. The stock was quoted at 472.40p at 15:06 BST, up 13.10p, or 2.85%, on a 20-minute delayed basis, with a day range of 463.20p to 472.80p. The FTSE 100 was up 0.53% at 10,533.75 on a delayed LSEG quote.
S4 Capital (LON:SFOR) rallies on strong volume with debt-cut plan in focus
S4 Capital plc jumped in London on Thursday. Trading action suggested the move was tied to balance-sheet trades instead of any fresh company news or filings. S4 Capital shares traded at 35.25p at 15:01 BST, up 6.82% for the session. Volume hit 10.63 million shares, close to five times the daily average, with the price moving between 31.55p and 37p. Google Finance showed a market cap of £236.19 million.
Japan yen watch intensifies as weak U.S. payrolls set up test for Tokyo’s intervention tactics
The yen’s biggest move this week wasn’t from a clear signal of Japanese intervention—it was out of Washington. Dollar/yen dropped to 160.78 on Thursday after a soft U.S. payrolls print, down about 1.2% from Tuesday’s 162.66. Reuters called that earlier peak the yen's weakest in four decades. Tokyo now gets a little breathing room, but the trade is still on: Japan’s Ministry of Finance wants short sellers looking over their shoulders for a surprise, not just guarding a level. Reuters said Japanese officials are dropping their old habit of giving the market advance warning. According to sources, they're now steering clear of setting any clear “line in the sand,” so traders don’t know when yen-buying might come. The idea is
Symphony Environmental (LON:SYM) up 9% on thin trades as outlook meets loan concerns
Symphony Environmental Technologies plc traded up 9.09% at 9.00p in a Thursday quote from Google Finance, though volume stayed light—just 87 shares changing hands, about 0.09% of its average volume. The move came during regular trading hours in London, with the market open as of 14:07 BST. The London Stock Exchange runs from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. That’s the piece investors care about. The price moved higher, but liquidity didn’t follow. AJ Bell quoted a 7.50p bid and a 9.00p offer, leaving an 18% spread on the mid. Google Finance listed £21.27 million in market value, with 236.36 million shares out.
James Latham (LON:LTHM) climbs, still trades below book after results
James Latham Plc climbed Thursday after the AIM-listed timber and panels group posted stronger yearly profit. But the focus stayed on valuation, with shares still trading just under book value despite an 8% jump. The stock traded at 1,102p at 13:55 BST, up 82p. Google Finance gave a market cap of £222.16 million. Volume was 16,420 shares, ahead of the average 9,930. About £181,000 of stock changed hands at that price, which isn’t much for such a big move.
Experian stock gains as buybacks offset staff share dilution before July update
Experian PLC ticked up Thursday. The main read for investors, though, was on the share count. The credit data company is buying back shares quickly, outpacing a minor block admission for staff awards ahead of its Q1 update coming this month. Shares traded at 2,588.51 pence, up 0.37%, as of 13:50:51 BST, using delayed Morningstar feed. The day's range was 2,511p to 2,591p. Market cap stood at about £22.92 billion. Volume at that time reached 1.12 million shares. The London Stock Exchange was open; usual LSE hours are 0800-1630 BST.
EQT spread on Intertek post-dividend leaves £300 million gap at current deal terms
Intertek Group plc trades close to deal levels, though with some gap left. The London-listed testing and certification group traded at 5,805p on the offer and 5,810p on the bid Thursday, broker data showed. Nearly 960,000 shares changed hands, with the market cap sitting at about £8.9 billion. Regular hours for the London Stock Exchange are 0800 to 1630 BST, so the quote landed within the usual session.
Lloyds shares up as motor-finance hit now a timing question for capital
Lloyds Banking Group plc shares gained in London Thursday after a tribunal halt slowed parts of the UK’s motor-finance compensation scheme. The move gives the bank extra time on payouts, though the scale of the risk is unchanged. The stock gained 0.67% to 112.90 pence by 12:47 BST, with volume showing 31.07 million shares traded. The FTSE 100 rose 0.44% to 10,524.09, using delayed data. The London Stock Exchange was open for its regular session at the 13:05 BST mark; normal hours are 0800 to 1630 local time.