LONDON, July 4, 2026, 18:08 BST
- Standard Chartered gained 4.2% last week. The FTSE 100 (INDEXFTSE:UKX) added 1.6% in the same period.
- Shares rose Friday on volume of 1.9 million, roughly 24% of the 50-day average.
- StanChart finished a $1.5 billion buyback program, taking out 62.8 million shares. Half-year earnings are expected July 29.
Standard Chartered PLC LON:STAN started the week coming off a rally Friday, gaining 1.53% to close at £21.22 in London trade. The FTSE 100 finished up 0.25% at 10,679.03. But Standard Chartered volume was only 1.9 million shares, well below the 50-day average of 7.9 million.
Shares climbed 4.2% for the week from the June 26 close at £20.36. That beat the FTSE 100, which added 1.6%, moving from 10,508.02 to 10,679.03. Standard Chartered outperformed by about 2.6 points.
| Last week’s tape | Figure | Investor read |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Chartered jumped Friday | +1.53% to £21.22 | Outperformed index |
| Standard Chartered weekly change | +4.2% | Bounced back from last week’s £20.36 finish |
| FTSE 100 Friday gain | +0.25% to 10,679.03 | Market had gains, but less than Standard Chartered |
| FTSE 100 weekly move | +1.6% | Standard Chartered outpaced by 2.6 points |
| Friday volume | 1.9 mln shares | Around 24% of 50-day average |
Standard Chartered wrapped up its $1.5 billion share buyback after picking up the last shares on June 24. The program, first announced Feb. 24, saw the bank repurchase 62,797,188 ordinary shares at an average price of £17.803262. Shares closed Friday at £21.22, up 19.2% from the average buyback price.
Standard Chartered cut its share base by around 2.8% after retiring some of its stock. The bank now has 2,191,045,499 ordinary shares in issue. The smaller share count is positive for per-share figures, but the buyback support is gone with the daily bid out of the market.
| Buyback math | Number |
|---|---|
| Buyback total | About $1.5 bln |
| Total shares bought | 62,797,188 |
| Average paid per share | £17.803262 |
| Share price at Friday close | £21.22 |
| Friday close vs buyback average | 19.2% |
| Shares outstanding after cancellation | 2,191,045,499 |
| % shares retired vs original count | 2.8% |
Standard Chartered saw a bigger move Friday compared to other UK-listed banks, but still had the smallest market cap. HSBC Holdings PLC (LON:HSBA) closed up 0.40%, valued at £248.82 billion, according to AJ Bell. Barclays PLC (LON:BARC) edged up 0.04%, with a £70.44 billion market value. Standard Chartered’s market value was £46.14 billion.
| Company | Friday move | Market value | P/E | Dividend yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Chartered PLC LON:STAN | climbed 1.53% | £46.14 bln | 13.25 | 2.19% |
| HSBC Holdings PLC (LON:HSBA) | gained 0.40% | £248.82 bln | 15.84 | 3.83% |
| Barclays PLC (LON:BARC) | inched up 0.04% | £70.44 bln | 11.89 | 1.67% |
The shares haven’t climbed back to their late-June high. On Friday, MarketWatch reported the close was 6.85% under the 52-week top of £22.78 set June 24. The resistance level looks close to the same day the buyback wrapped up.
Standard Chartered is due to report second-quarter and half-year results on July 29, scheduled for 05:00 UK time. The bank will host a virtual presentation at 08:00 UK time.
The last full earnings report gave bulls something concrete. First-quarter pretax profit came in at $2.45 billion, better than the $2.14 billion consensus Reuters mentioned. Global banking income climbed 19%, wealth income increased 32%. CEO Bill Winters told Reuters he’s “quite optimistic” on their Middle East business, with Gulf states moving into private markets after oil revenue pressure. Reuters
Credit risk is still the swing factor for the rerating. Standard Chartered reported a $190 million charge on possible losses linked to the Iran war scenario, pushing total credit costs up 32% to $290 million. Autonomous analyst Manus Costello told Reuters it was “rather than any underlying significant deterioration in credit.” Profit in China dropped 75% to $36 million for the quarter. Reuters
At the bank’s investor day in May, Winters told shareholders its network remains “our home market” and called Standard Chartered’s current period a “compounding phase.” The bank targets a return on tangible equity of more than 15% by 2028, climbing to about 18% in 2030.
Standard Chartered saw a mixed week for news. In Uganda, its local unit signed a road-financing deal worth 110.5 million euros. In South Africa, the Constitutional Court allowed authorities to continue forex-rigging claims against several banks; Standard Chartered settled last year and paid 42 million rand. The bank also put Margaret Harwood-Jones in as CEO for Europe and the UK, a new position.
Standard Chartered faces a tight test this week. The focus is whether shares can stay above 2,100p now that the buyback is done. Friday’s session topped out at 2,122p. That’s still below the 52-week high of 2,278p.
