Marcin Frąckiewicz

Marcin Frąckiewicz is the CEO of TS2 Space and a longtime technology entrepreneur focused on telecommunications, satellite communications and digital innovation. A graduate of the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH), he writes about space technology, artificial intelligence and publicly traded technology companies. His analysis covers major market trends, emerging technologies and the businesses shaping the future of the global economy.

British American Tobacco Stock Price Slips Even as BAT Keeps Buying Back Shares

British American Tobacco Stock Price Slips Even as BAT Keeps Buying Back Shares

British American Tobacco was trading lower in London on Friday, last seen at roughly 4,295 pence by 15:50 GMT—a drop of 1.4% for the session. Shares moved within a range between 4,291 and 4,387 pence. This shift is notable: BAT was among London’s more resilient income plays. According to LSE data, the shares have climbed 38.0% in the past year, ahead of the FTSE 350 by 23.3 percentage points. Thursday’s close at 4,355 pence puts the stock just 6.8% under its March 2, 52-week high.
March 20, 2026
CBA Shares Near Highs After RBA Hike: Why Commonwealth Bank Bulls and Bears Both Have a Case
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CBA Shares Near Highs After RBA Hike: Why Commonwealth Bank Bulls and Bears Both Have a Case

Commonwealth Bank of Australia closed at A$175.64 on Friday, skimming the lower end of its intraday range—A$175.64 to A$179.56—but still hovering close to the upper reaches of its A$140.21-A$192.00 one-year band. For investors in the nation’s top lender, the dilemma persists: does the improving rate environment justify paying up at these levels? Australia stood apart from other developed markets this week. The Reserve Bank of Australia raised its cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.1% in a tight 5-4 decision on March 17. Traders, according to Reuters, still fully priced in a jump to 4.35% by August, despite the close call.
March 20, 2026
Rio Tinto plc Stock Price Today: Shares Steady After Cyclone Shuts Queensland Bauxite Mines
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Rio Tinto plc Stock Price Today: Shares Steady After Cyclone Shuts Queensland Bauxite Mines

Rio Tinto plc ticked up in London on Friday, with shares gaining 0.33% to 6,359 pence as of 13:10 GMT, after shutting two Queensland bauxite mines in the path of Tropical Cyclone Narelle. The closures came on the heels of a sharp drop in Rio's Australia-listed shares, which earlier slumped as much as 4% to A$145.36—marking their lowest point since Jan. 13. Amrun and Andoom account for roughly 30 million metric tons of bauxite output annually, so the shutdown packs a punch. The ore is the key feedstock for aluminium, and this disruption hits just as the global market wrestles with supply shortages—recent Gulf cutbacks and transport snags already drove London Metal Exchange aluminium prices to a four-year peak last
March 20, 2026
Lloyds Banking Group plc Stock Price Today: Why Shares Are Sliding as BoE Hike Bets Build
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Lloyds Banking Group plc Stock Price Today: Why Shares Are Sliding as BoE Hike Bets Build

Lloyds Banking Group slipped 1.0% to 91.84 pence in London on Friday afternoon, the shares sliding for a second session as investors absorbed a grimmer UK rate scenario following the Bank of England’s latest decision. This shift is significant, given Lloyds holds the top spot as Britain’s biggest mortgage lender—mortgages account for around 66% of its loan book. Traders are now pricing in about a 60% probability of a rate hike in April, with as many as three quarter-point increases possible before the year wraps up. That’s a stark reversal from the rate-cut bets that prevailed before the latest energy shock.
March 20, 2026
National Grid plc Stock Price Falls 2% as Gilt Rout, Jefferies Downgrade Weigh on Shares
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National Grid plc Stock Price Falls 2% as Gilt Rout, Jefferies Downgrade Weigh on Shares

National Grid dropped roughly 2% Friday, landing at 1,246.5 pence as investors continued to unload UK utilities sensitive to interest rates. Shares moved within a range of 1,244.5 to 1,284.5 pence, after closing at 1,272 pence the previous session. National Grid had stood out among utilities after hiking its 2027 adjusted earnings per share growth forecast to 13%-15% earlier this month, just as it heads into a fresh regulatory cycle. That optimism, though, didn’t last long. Friday’s selloff underscores how fast sentiment can reverse when yields spike.
March 20, 2026
Rolls-Royce Stock Price Today: Shares Hold Near 1,190p as Buyback, UltraFan Funding Offset Market Nerves
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Rolls-Royce Stock Price Today: Shares Hold Near 1,190p as Buyback, UltraFan Funding Offset Market Nerves

Rolls-Royce Holdings ticked up 0.1% to 1,191 pence by 1056 GMT on Friday, holding its ground while London’s FTSE 100 dropped another 0.1% and was on track for a third week in the red. The engine maker looked steadier than the index, which remains under pressure from oil and interest rate concerns. The stock’s move stands out, with Rolls-Royce still one of the FTSE 100’s standout industrial names since last month’s results and its shareholder return plan nudged the index to a record. But even after that jump, shares are trading about 16% below the 1,420-pence high for the year. That suggests February’s burst of optimism has collided with a tougher market mood.
March 20, 2026
Glencore share price rises as stock shrugs off South Africa smelter warning, coal outlook firms
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Glencore share price rises as stock shrugs off South Africa smelter warning, coal outlook firms

Shares of Glencore Plc climbed 1% in London on Friday, shrugging off signals from its South African ferrochrome arm, which threatened to walk away from negotiations for cheaper power. By late morning, the stock was trading at 523.8 pence, marking a 1.08% gain from Thursday’s finish. This is catching attention as investors keep piling into Glencore’s coal play after a big rerating earlier this year. Since Jan. 7, coal prices and Glencore shares are both up 26%, Reuters reported last week. Morningstar’s Jon Mills just took his fair value estimate for Glencore stock up to 530 pence this week.
March 20, 2026
HSBC Share Price Rebounds After 20,000 Job-Cut Report, but AI Push and Middle East Risks Loom
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HSBC Share Price Rebounds After 20,000 Job-Cut Report, but AI Push and Middle East Risks Loom

HSBC Holdings shares paused their slide Friday, recovering roughly 1% to 1,183.2 pence by the morning, after Thursday's 3.1% tumble. Investors were still digesting a report that the bank may axe up to 20,000 jobs as part of a stepped-up AI drive. The timing is crucial: HSBC’s management is under pressure to show shareholders that its restructuring will boost returns without exposing the bank to fresh risks. After topping 2025 profit expectations and upping its profitability target last month, HSBC faces scrutiny from investors. The question now is whether the bank’s cost-saving push—leaning on AI, shorthand for task-automating software—can counter a tougher market environment.
March 20, 2026
Shell Stock Falls as Qatar Pearl Shutdown Cuts Through the Oil Rally
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Shell Stock Falls as Qatar Pearl Shutdown Cuts Through the Oil Rally

Shell Plc dropped roughly 1.2% in London trading Friday, with shares slipping to 3,421 pence—off by 40 pence—after it suspended output at its Pearl facility in Qatar in response to attacks at Ras Laffan industrial city. That's according to Reuters market data. Why does this matter? Investors are weighing whether gains from pricier oil and gas can offset the blow to Shell’s operations in Qatar. QatarEnergy chief Saad al-Kaabi told Reuters the strikes have sidelined 17% of the country’s LNG export capacity for three to five years. European gas prices surged up to 35% on Thursday.
March 20, 2026
BP PLC Stock Price Today: Shares Slip After 52-Week High as Refinery Sale Raises Cost-Cut Goal
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BP PLC Stock Price Today: Shares Slip After 52-Week High as Refinery Sale Raises Cost-Cut Goal

BP slipped around 3% to 565.8 pence in late London trading on Friday, retreating from a recent 52-week high. The pullback came as investors digested news of the oil giant's German refinery divestment, set against a weaker broader London market. It’s a notable step for BP, which is working to streamline its assets and strengthen the balance sheet ahead of Meg O'Neill’s arrival as CEO in April. With the Gelsenkirchen deal, BP has now logged more than $11 billion in announced or closed asset sales out of its $20 billion goal for 2027—and the company’s recurring cost-cutting target climbs to a range of $6.5 billion to $7.5 billion.
March 20, 2026
Unilever-McCormick Food Business Talks Could Split Off Hellmann’s, Knorr and Marmite
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Unilever-McCormick Food Business Talks Could Split Off Hellmann’s, Knorr and Marmite

Unilever on Friday confirmed it's fielding an inbound offer for its Foods division and is now in talks with McCormick & Co., possibly paving the way for brands like Hellmann’s, Knorr and Marmite to change hands. McCormick has also acknowledged ongoing discussions about a potential strategic transaction involving the business unit. The timing here is clear enough. These negotiations would fast-track CEO Fernando Fernandez’s campaign to slim Unilever down, sharpening its angle on beauty, wellbeing, and personal care—a strategy set in motion after last year’s ice cream spin-off. Looking at the 2025 numbers: Foods delivered 2.5% growth, while Beauty & Wellbeing jumped 4.3%, and Personal Care posted 4.7%. Foods still accounted for 26% of overall turnover.
March 20, 2026
UK Fuel Prices: Diesel Could Hit £2 a Litre Within Weeks as Oil Surge Reignites Fuel Duty Fight
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UK Fuel Prices: Diesel Could Hit £2 a Litre Within Weeks as Oil Surge Reignites Fuel Duty Fight

Traders sounded the alarm Friday: British diesel might break through the £2 per litre mark in a matter of weeks, with Brent crude holding above $110 following new Middle East attacks. The move is ramping up pressure on ministers. It’s not just pump prices in the spotlight. Diesel powers vans, trucks, and tractors—so any spike can ripple into freight costs, consumer prices, and inflation. The Bank of England on Thursday signaled it’s prepared to respond if energy prices, driven by conflict, threaten its 2% inflation target.
March 20, 2026
Qantas Share Price Drops as Fuel Shock, Demand Fears Keep Pressure on Airline Stocks
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Qantas Share Price Drops as Fuel Shock, Demand Fears Keep Pressure on Airline Stocks

March 20, 2026, 10:52 AEDT – Sydney Qantas Airways closed Thursday at A$8.43, hovering close to this month’s lows as investors digested the impact of pricier fuel and questioned whether fare hikes would be enough to protect margins. The share price opened at A$8.52, moving between A$8.52 and A$8.63 during the session, market data from Qantas and Yahoo Finance show.
March 20, 2026
Macquarie Group Stock in Focus After $7 Billion Kuwait Pipeline Exit and Fresh Buyback Filing
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Macquarie Group Stock in Focus After $7 Billion Kuwait Pipeline Exit and Fresh Buyback Filing

Macquarie Group landed back in the spotlight in Sydney Friday, after issuing yet another update on its on-market buyback—a share repurchase effort that’s been tracking investor attention. Traders were still digesting the company’s recent move to drop its pursuit of Kuwait’s oil pipeline network, a deal that could have reached $7 billion. Macquarie shares closed at A$196.09 on Thursday, slipping 0.65%, per ASX data. The Kuwait pullout is shaping up as a bigger headache for markets. Few moves have signaled the Iran war’s impact on Gulf dealmaking quite like this—especially for Macquarie, which has spent years putting money to work in the region. Now, with oil prices climbing and Australia turning back to rate hikes, funding costs could be headed
March 20, 2026
Northern Star Resources Ltd Share Price Slides 9.5% as Gold Slump Deepens Output Warning Fallout

Northern Star Resources Ltd Share Price Slides 9.5% as Gold Slump Deepens Output Warning Fallout

Northern Star Resources tumbled 9.5% to finish at A$18.96 on Thursday, compounding losses after last week’s production alert and landing the miner near the top of the ASX’s most heavily traded by value. ASX figures showed roughly A$207.1 million worth of shares were exchanged. Shares are now sitting roughly 29% under their March 11 closing level of A$26.75. The question investors are wrestling with: are the ongoing troubles at Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines, or KCGM—one of Australia’s biggest open-pit gold operations—and at Jundee just temporary hiccups on the way to bringing new capacity online, or are they looking at something more serious, a sign of execution risk?
March 20, 2026
CSL stock price sinks despite buyback as pressure builds on Australian biotech
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CSL stock price sinks despite buyback as pressure builds on Australian biotech

SYDNEY, March 20, 2026, 09:38 UTC+11. CSL shares slid another 2.45% on Thursday, closing at A$134.62, while the company pressed ahead with its buyback program. According to an ASX filing dated March 19, CSL snapped up 74,167 shares on March 18, spending A$10.3 million at prices ranging from A$138.00 to A$141.15. The on-market buyback, capped at up to US$750 million, is scheduled to run through June 30, 2026.
March 20, 2026
Westpac Banking Corporation Stock Price Falls 1% as ASX Slides, RBA Rate Hike Keeps Margin Debate Alive
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Westpac Banking Corporation Stock Price Falls 1% as ASX Slides, RBA Rate Hike Keeps Margin Debate Alive

Westpac Banking Corporation shares on the ASX slipped 0.96% to close at A$41.13 on Thursday. The S&P/ASX 200 slumped 1.65% to 8,497.8 after an oil shock shook risk assets. This shift carries weight as banks across Australia adjust to the latest round of monetary tightening. The Reserve Bank of Australia bumped its cash rate up by 25 basis points to 4.1% on Tuesday. Westpac responded, announcing it will hike both variable home-loan rates and cash-rate-linked business lending rates by an identical 25 basis points, taking effect March 31.
March 20, 2026
Santos Share Price Climbs 3% to A$8.02 as Oil, LNG Surge Lifts ASX Energy Stocks
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Santos Share Price Climbs 3% to A$8.02 as Oil, LNG Surge Lifts ASX Energy Stocks

Santos Ltd climbed 3.2% on Thursday, finishing at A$8.02 after reaching an intraday high of A$8.06—right at the upper end of its 52-week range. A renewed oil and gas jolt steered investors toward Australian energy stocks. This played out as the S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1.7% to hit its lowest in four months. This surge is significant for Santos, a seller of both crude and LNG—liquefied natural gas cooled for export. Brent crude touched $119.13, later closing at $108.65 on Thursday. European gas prices, meanwhile, soared up to 35% following strikes on Gulf energy infrastructure.
March 19, 2026
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