Commonwealth Bank of Australia shares closed at A$176.12 Tuesday, up 0.34%, after the bank said it will raise variable home-loan rates by 25 basis points from March 27. The move follows the
Rolls-Royce shares rose 1.2% to around 1,230p in London on Monday, partly recovering from Friday’s 5.3% drop. The company said it bought back 1.82 million shares on March 13 and has repurchased 12.52 million under its £2.3 billion programme. Shares remain below the 1,420p year high as investors weigh buybacks and upgraded profit guidance against supply-chain and oil-price risks.
Apple is under renewed pressure after security researchers and media outlets warned millions of iPhones remain unpatched against two WebKit zero-day flaws
Santos shares rose to A$7.71 on March 17 as Brent crude hit $103.42 after Iranian attacks on the UAE raised supply fears. The company expects a 25–30% production boost by 2027 from Barossa and Pikka projects, despite a 25% drop in 2025 profit and plans to cut 10% of staff. Australia’s central bank raised rates to 4.1% citing energy-driven inflation risks. Santos loaded its first Barossa cargo from Darwin LNG.
National Australia Bank shares rose 0.85% to A$47.46 after the Reserve Bank of Australia raised its cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.10% in a split decision. NAB said it will lift variable home-loan rates by 0.25 percentage point from March 27. Westpac shares also climbed 1.39%. Core inflation stands at 3.4% as oil prices remain elevated.
UK petrol prices climbed Tuesday, with a 49p-per-litre gap between the priciest M1 motorway stop and the cheapest London station as Brent crude topped $101 a barrel amid Iran conflict disruptions. RAC data showed unleaded averaging 142.29p and diesel 162.06p per litre. Motorway sites charged up to 172.9p for petrol, while Morrisons Camden offered 123.9p. Ministers warned retailers against unjustified price hikes.
Northern Star Resources shares closed up 0.39% at A$20.66 Tuesday after a two-day, 23% slide triggered by a fiscal 2026 production downgrade. The company now expects output above 1.50 million ounces, down from its previous 1.6–1.7 million ounce forecast. JPMorgan and RBC cut their target prices sharply. Evolution Mining rose 3.66% the same day, highlighting investor concerns specific to Northern Star.
Evolution Mining shares rose 3.7% to A$13.58 on Tuesday, rebounding with the gold sector after Monday’s sharp drop. JPMorgan upgraded Evolution to Overweight and raised its target to A$15.50, while UBS maintained a sell rating. Gold steadied near $5,005 an ounce after recent volatility. Evolution’s March-quarter results are due April 15.
Westpac shares closed up 1.39% at A$41.49 after the Reserve Bank of Australia raised its cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.10% in a 5-4 split decision. Westpac and other major banks said they will pass the full rate increase to variable home loan customers from late March. Westpac’s first-quarter net profit reached A$1.9 billion, beating analyst forecasts. Consumer sentiment remains subdued, with the latest survey still below 100.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia shares closed at A$176.12 Tuesday, up 0.34%, after the bank said it will raise variable home-loan rates by 25 basis points from March 27. The move follows the Reserve Bank of Australia’s quarter-point rate hike to 4.1%. CBA posted record first-half cash net profit of A$5.45 billion last month. Consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest since early 2020.
BHP shares closed up 1.1% after the company filed for environmental approval to build a $4.4–$5.9 billion copper concentrator at Escondida in Chile and advanced its Resolution Copper project in Arizona. Resolution, owned with Rio Tinto, secured 2,400 acres for development but faces opposition from Native groups. Copper accounted for 51% of BHP's operating earnings in the latest half, overtaking iron ore.
Centrica shares rose 1.78% Tuesday, hitting a 12-month high at 214 pence. The gain followed news that Hive, its connected-home unit, partnered with Daikin to expand heat pump compatibility. The FTSE 100 closed up 0.83%, while Brent crude jumped 3.2% to $103.42 a barrel amid Middle East tensions.
Babcock International shares closed at 1,366p Tuesday, up 0.44% after extending its buyback, while the FTSE 100 rose 0.83%. The company repurchased 13,784 shares on March 16, part of an ongoing programme totaling 8.125 million shares since July 2025. Shares remain below their 52-week high despite an 80.7% gain over the past year. Investors weighed recent gains against inflation and interest rate concerns.
Prudential plc shares closed up 0.46% at 1,095 pence in London on Tuesday ahead of its full-year 2025 results, due at 10 p.m. UK time. The insurer repurchased 370,360 shares on March 16 for about £4 million, set for cancellation. Analysts expect 2025 adjusted operating profit before tax of $3.32 billion and a total dividend of 26.23 cents per share. The FTSE 100 rose 0.83%.
BT Group shares climbed 2.5% to 220 pence after Ofcom set new five-year rules for Openreach and expanded a wholesale price cap. Ofcom said full-fibre broadband now reaches 78% of UK homes, with a cap on prices for speeds up to 80 Mbit/s. BT shares are up nearly 37% over the past year. Openreach will review the changes, while rivals urged continued oversight.
Informa shares closed down 0.21% at 759.2 pence Tuesday, underperforming the FTSE 100’s 0.83% gain, as investors weighed Middle East disruption risks. The company raised its 2026 share buyback to £250 million and reported record 2025 free cash flow of £884.8 million. CEO Stephen Carter said 45% of 2026 revenue is already secured. Informa TechTarget posted a £64.3 million pre-tax loss in 2025.
Diageo shares closed at 1,450p in London Tuesday, just above their 12-month low, after cutting its 2026 organic sales forecast and halving its interim dividend. CEO Debra Crew and finance chief Hannah Brooks received new share awards under a long-term incentive plan. First-half net sales fell 4% to $10.46 billion, with U.S. and China demand weak. The next trading update is set for May 6.
Haleon shares rose Tuesday after Berenberg raised its target price and the company disclosed its first purchases under a new £500 million buyback. The buyback began March 12, with 2.75 million shares already bought for cancellation. U.S. sales remain pressured by weak consumer demand, while Haleon is investing £65 million in a new Shanghai plant and expanding Parodontax across China.
Standard Chartered shares closed up 3.45% at £16.04 on Tuesday, outperforming the FTSE 100 ahead of the Bank of England’s rate decision. The bank disclosed it bought back 977,000 shares on March 16, bringing total buybacks to $230.3 million. Investors remain focused on the bank’s exposure to Middle East tensions and oil price swings.
Lloyds Banking Group shares rose 1.37% to 96.20 pence Tuesday despite new questions from lawmakers over a recent app glitch. The bank bought back 8.94 million shares the same day. UK bank stocks led the FTSE 100, as traders focused on interest rate expectations ahead of the Bank of England meeting. Lloyds has not disclosed how many customers were affected by the March 12 outage.
Vodafone shares closed up 1.4% at 111.1 pence in London after a new filing tied to its ongoing buyback plan, which has now lifted treasury stock to 1.7657 billion shares. The company bought 2 million shares from Goldman Sachs at an average 110.29 pence on March 16. Ofcom set new price caps for BT’s Openreach, affecting Vodafone’s wholesale costs. Vodafone’s buyback programme runs through May 11.
BAE Systems shares rose 0.4% to about 2,331 pence Tuesday after announcing new U.S. Air Force work on the U-2’s electronic warfare system. The stock held near record highs despite a broader pullback in European defence shares. BAE’s backlog hit £83.6 billion last month, with 2026 sales and profit growth forecast. Sector peers saw mixed moves as investors focus on delivery and margins.
London Stock Exchange Group shares rose about 1% Tuesday after the company disclosed further purchases under its £3 billion buyback, with 343,251 shares bought March 16 at an average 8,736.31 pence. LSEG spent nearly £60 million across two recent sessions. The company also published its AGM notice for April 23. Sixteen analysts rate the stock a buy, with no holds or sells.
IAG shares rose 0.9% to 355.65 pence in late London trading as investors reacted to reports that major European airlines plan to challenge EU synthetic jet fuel rules. Air France-KLM and Lufthansa also gained, while Ryanair slipped. IAG remains down 5.5% over five days. British Airways extended Middle East flight cuts as Brent crude topped $101 a barrel amid the Iran war.
Rolls-Royce shares rose 1.6% to near 1,250 pence in delayed London trading after the company secured €64 million in EU funding for its UltraFan 30 engine demonstrator. The grant, part of the Clean Aviation programme, supports ground testing planned for 2028. Rolls-Royce also announced Atlas Air ordered 40 Trent XWB-97 engines for 20 Airbus A350F freighters. The stock remains below its 52-week high of 1,420 pence.
Barclays shares rose 1.97% to 395.8 pence Tuesday as investors scaled back bets on near-term Bank of England rate cuts. The move tracked gains in UK bank stocks ahead of major central bank decisions. J.P. Morgan now expects the next UK rate cut in early 2027. Barclays reported £9.1 billion pre-tax profit for 2025 and announced a £1 billion share buyback in February.
National Grid shares rose 0.5% to 1,362.75p in London on Tuesday, recovering part of Monday’s 1.27% drop after UBS cut its rating to Sell and raised its target price to 1,160p. The company’s shares remain up 19.5% this year after unveiling a £70 billion investment plan, but face regulatory risks and a £20 million payment over historic failures at the Harker substation.
HSBC’s New York shares rose 1.3% to $81.38 after reports the bank is seeking at least $1 billion in AT1 dollar debt. HSBC has about $23 billion in Middle East lending exposure, the highest among major European banks. The stock had fallen 14% since Feb. 28 before Tuesday’s rebound. HSBC reported 2025 pretax profit of $29.9 billion, beating analyst estimates.