London, Feb 23, 2026, 08:30 GMT — Regular session
- Barclays picked up roughly 1% in early London trading, following news of a new buyback announcement.
- The bank reported it bought back 4.21 million shares for cancellation in the most recent tranche.
- HSBC’s annual results are due later this week, and investors are eyeing them for signals on the broader sector.
Barclays (BARC.L) climbed 1.1% to 478.9 pence as of 0810 GMT, lifted by news of fresh share buybacks. UK bank stocks firmed, with Lloyds and HSBC ticking up as well. The FTSE 100 edged higher. 1
The buyback is one lever Barclays can actually pull day in, day out—cash goes directly to shareholders, share count gets trimmed, and that alone can bump up earnings per share despite uneven revenue. For traders, a regular drip of repurchase announcements doubles as a tell on how solid the bank’s capital position is.
On Feb. 10, Barclays raised its medium-term targets after delivering a 12% jump in 2025 profit before tax. The bank also unveiled a £1 billion share buyback and issued its final dividend. Finance director Anna Cross pointed out Barclays has “a number of levers” to counter a proposed U.S. cap on credit-card fees—still a top concern for investors focused on the bank’s consumer business. 2
Barclays disclosed in a Monday filing that it snapped up 4.21 million shares for cancellation on Feb. 20, executing the trade via J.P. Morgan Securities at prices ranging from 470.55 pence to 478.35 pence. The average price worked out to 475.2489 pence per share. That brings total buybacks since the Feb. 10 programme launch to 25.38 million shares, according to the bank. 3
Early global trading turned choppy as renewed doubts around U.S. tariff moves sent investors scrambling for safety. “Uncertainty is not good news for any economy or market,” said Rodrigo Catril, senior FX strategist at NAB, quoted by Reuters. 4
Bank stocks feel the squeeze in a risk-off stretch. Appetite for deals and trading tends to fade, yet bond yields can shift sharply too — and that’s the current sticking point. Investors are weighing just how far central banks might go on rate cuts before it starts to hurt lender margins.
Still, the buyback doesn’t offer protection. If consumer credit pulls back harder, investment banking fees take another dive, or U.S. credit-card regulations bite more than expected, Barclays’ share cancellations may do little to steady the narrative.
HSBC’s annual numbers are due Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 0400 GMT, and investors will be digging into the results for any fresh signals on UK banks’ earnings power and payout plans. The big question: Is the sector’s rally leaving much upside? 5
