Aviva shares rose 1.14% to 640.6 pence Monday after the insurer disclosed it bought and cancelled 20,000 shares at 631.07 pence each on March 13. The buyback, handled by Citigroup, is part
IAG shares rose 1.2% to 357.9 pence on Monday as oil prices eased, partially recovering from last week’s fall. British Airways continued suspensions on several Middle East routes, with flights to Abu Dhabi cancelled until later this year. Jet fuel prices have doubled since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began, outpacing crude. IAG’s previous close was 353.7 pence, well below its 52-week high of 464.28 pence.
AI dominates Hong Kong’s 2026 Filmart, with 28 sessions focused on generative technology in film production, animation, and screenwriting. Only one event addresses copyright risks. U.S. studios are mostly absent except Warner Bros. Discovery. Chinese firms Kling, Minimax, ShengShu AI, and TapNow AI lead a new AI hub at the event.
Evolution Mining shares fell 3.03% to A$13.10 on Monday, closing 11.43% lower over five sessions as spot gold dropped 0.5% to $4,993.42 an ounce. Australian gold miners slid ahead of a possible Reserve Bank rate hike, with the ASX 200 down 0.4%. Evolution maintained FY26 output guidance and reported record half-year profit of A$767 million. The company’s dividend reinvestment plan drew in 1.67% of shares.
National Australia Bank closed at A$47.06 on Monday, just below last month's record, as markets priced a 72% chance of a Reserve Bank rate hike this week. NAB reported a 16% rise in first-quarter profit to A$2.02 billion and a net interest margin of 1.80%. Oil prices remain above $100 a barrel after the Middle East conflict, fueling inflation concerns. NAB's consumer tracker showed household spending up 0.4% in February.
ANZ Group shares closed at A$37.45 on Monday, up 0.67%, ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s policy decision due at 2:30 p.m. AEDT. The stock remains below its February record of A$40.20, set after a strong first-quarter update. Markets are pricing a 75% chance of a 0.25-point RBA rate hike. ANZ’s half-year results and interim dividend dates have been moved up to early May.
Northern Star Resources shares dropped 5.38% Monday to A$20.58, deepening losses after last week’s 18.75% fall. The miner last week cut its fiscal 2026 production forecast and warned of weaker output at its key Kalgoorlie site. Investors await the March-quarter report due April 22. Broader declines in gold stocks continued, but Northern Star’s losses outpaced peers.
Santos Limited shares rose 2.1% to A$7.69 on Monday, outperforming a 0.4% drop in the S&P/ASX 200 as energy stocks gained. Brent crude settled above $100 a barrel, up nearly 40% since late February attacks on Iran, supporting exporters like Santos. The company is cutting 10% of staff after weak earnings and plans to boost production by up to 30% by 2027. Markets expect the Reserve Bank of Australia to tighten policy this week.
BHP Group's U.S.-listed shares rose 2.3% to $70.31 Monday after Britain's Court of Appeal dismissed a contempt case tied to the 2015 Mariana dam disaster and China eased curbs on one BHP iron ore product. The relief was limited, as China maintained broader restrictions on other BHP grades. Earlier in Sydney, BHP shares fell 1.2%. A second trial on Samarco dam disaster damages is set for April 2027.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia shares closed up 1.02% at A$175.53, their highest in over two weeks, as investors bought rate-sensitive lenders before the Reserve Bank of Australia’s policy decision. The S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.4% as miners dropped on weaker commodity prices. CBA led banking stocks higher, offsetting declines in major mining shares. Most economists expect the RBA to raise rates on Tuesday.
Woodside Energy shares closed up 1.9% at A$31.63 on Monday after the company defended its LNG-focused strategy and climate targets in a sustainability briefing. The S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.4%. Woodside said it met its 2025 emissions goal and has contracted most of its 2026–2028 LNG volumes. Delays were reported for its lower-carbon ammonia project in Texas.
Vodafone bought 2 million shares on March 13 under its €500 million buyback, with shares closing up 0.37% at 109.6 pence in London on Monday. The shares will be held in treasury, leaving about 23.11 billion in issue. Investors are watching for FY26 results on May 12, focusing on Germany and UK integration. Last month, Vodafone agreed to sell its VodafoneZiggo stake for €1 billion and a 10% share in a new Ziggo Group.
Aviva shares rose 1.14% to 640.6 pence Monday after the insurer disclosed it bought and cancelled 20,000 shares at 631.07 pence each on March 13. The buyback, handled by Citigroup, is part of a £350 million programme running through August. Aviva’s Solvency II ratio fell to 180% at 2025 year-end, and the company faces a £10.6 million fine over a pre-acquisition solvency error at UK Insurance.
Diageo shares closed Monday at about 1,450 pence, down 1.2%, near a 52-week low after last month’s profit warning and dividend cut. U.S.-listed ADRs fell 0.6%. The FTSE 100 rose 0.55% the same day. CEO Dave Lewis plans to present a new strategy later this year as weak U.S. and Chinese demand continues to weigh on the company.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang forecast at least $1 trillion in AI chip revenue through 2027 during the company’s annual developer conference in San Jose. The projection doubles Nvidia’s previous estimate for 2026 and is tied to demand for Blackwell systems and the Vera Rubin lineup. Huang said the next growth phase will come from inference and AI agents. Nvidia shares rose about 1.4% after the announcement.
Beazley Plc shares closed near 1,290 pence Monday, about 45 pence below Zurich Insurance’s 1,335 pence takeover offer. The deal, valued at £8.1 billion, is expected to complete in the second half of 2026 pending regulatory approvals. UBS and Barclays filed UK takeover disclosures. Beazley reported a 19% drop in annual pretax profit on March 4.
Legal & General bought nearly 3 million shares under a new £1.2 billion buyback, with shares to be cancelled, after closing up 0.65% at 247.9p Monday. Core operating profit missed forecasts at £1.62 billion and the Solvency II ratio fell to 210%. CEO Antonio Simoes said L&G is "very comfortable" with its capital and plans £2.4 billion in investor returns. Ric Lewis will step down from the board in May.
National Grid shares fell 1.27% to 1,356 pence Monday after UBS downgraded the stock to sell, citing high valuations and warning of potential pullbacks. UBS said the shares now trade at a 57% premium to their regulated asset base, near a 30-year high. National Grid defended its growth outlook, projecting 13–15% EPS growth in fiscal 2027. The stock remains up nearly 19% this year.
Reckitt Benckiser shares rose 2.4% to 5,484 pence Monday after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock and set a 6,300-pence target. The gain follows a sharp drop earlier this month after the company withheld margin guidance and warned of earnings headwinds. Reckitt is running a £1 billion buyback and completed the $4.8 billion sale of Essential Home, retaining a 30% stake. FTSE 100 closed up 0.6%.
Britain’s FTSE 100 closed up 0.55% at 10,317.69 on Monday, lifted by gains in BP, Shell, and property stocks after oil prices fell. The FTSE 250 slipped 0.2% for a fourth straight loss, while Close Brothers dropped 15% after Viceroy Research revealed a short position. UK consumer sentiment hit a 14-month low, and two-year gilt yields rose sharply as traders scaled back bets on Bank of England rate cuts.
Australian shares fell for a third session Monday, with the S&P/ASX 200 down 0.4% to 8,583.4 as weaker commodity prices hit miners and traders awaited the Reserve Bank’s rate decision. Mining stocks dropped 2.4%, while financials and energy gained. Brent crude traded at $100.56 a barrel. South32 slid 5.7% after halting its Mozal smelter; Perpetual rose 1.9% after selling its wealth unit to Bain Capital.
3i Group shares fell 1.15% to 2,935 pence Monday, underperforming the FTSE 100’s 0.6% gain. The stock closed at a 3.29% discount to estimated NAV, far below its 12-month average premium. Investors are watching for 3i’s Action Capital Markets Seminar on March 26 and annual results on May 14. Action, its largest holding, reported 16 billion euros in 2025 net sales and 6.1% like-for-like sales growth early this year.
Anglo American shares rose 0.23% to 3,116 pence Monday, trailing gains by Rio Tinto, BHP, and Antofagasta as copper prices slipped and a London Metal Exchange outage disrupted trading. The company is advancing a $53 billion merger with Teck and a sale of De Beers after posting a $3.7 billion loss last month.
GSK shares closed down 0.25% at 2,026 pence on Monday, despite the company buying back 445,000 shares at an average 2,041.70 pence on March 13. The buyback is part of a £2 billion program, with GSK now holding 249.8 million shares in treasury. Investors remain cautious amid slower 2026 growth forecasts and uncertainty in vaccines.
RELX shares rose 0.9% Monday after LexisNexis said Willkie Farr & Gallagher would use its Protégé AI platform firmwide. The move follows weeks of volatility for legal-tech stocks after Anthropic’s legal plug-in rattled the sector. RELX reported 9% legal revenue growth in 2025 and expects further gains. Analysts warn AI advances still pose risks to RELX and rivals.
Rio Tinto shares rose 1.1% to 6,738 pence in London on Monday, partially recovering from Friday’s drop, despite sector pressure from falling copper prices. Aluminium prices hit four-year highs amid Middle East disruptions, while Rio’s Kennecott copper mine in Utah remains suspended after a fatal accident. Iron ore now accounts for 60% of group earnings, down from 70% a year ago, as copper and aluminium gain importance.
London Stock Exchange Group shares rose 0.2% to 8,759 pence Monday as the company launched a U.S. dollar bond sale that could raise up to $3 billion. LSEG disclosed it bought back 344,841 shares on March 13 for cancellation. The group reported 7.1% organic income growth and plans to complete a £3 billion buyback by February 2027. Shares remain down about 20% over the past year.