Breaking 27 June 2026 - 30 June 2026

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) high-street sale faces investor focus after TG Jones court delay
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WH Smith (LON:SMWH) high-street sale faces investor focus after TG Jones court delay

TG Jones, which bought WH Smith’s high street stores, was still waiting on a High Court decision over its rescue plan on Tuesday after a judge delayed ruling, The Telegraph reported. The judge warned the chain may not be able to cover bills if the restructuring isn’t approved. The investor angle is that the court dispute now covers more than just rent. It’s turned into a question of how fast a 233-year-old high-street brand shed value after leaving a listed travel retailer and moving under a new name. TG Jones warned that administration is likely if the plan fails.
June 30, 2026
South32 Ltd (ASX:S32) share price bounce leaves June selloff intact before quarterly update
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South32 Ltd (ASX:S32) share price bounce leaves June selloff intact before quarterly update

South32 Ltd entered Tuesday’s pre-open after a 1.79% rise on Monday, but the bounce did little to repair June’s damage. The miner closed at A$3.98; since June 22 it is down 4.1%, while the S&P/ASX 200 is up 0.1% over the same span. At the dateline time in Sydney, ASX Trade was in pre-open. The exchange lists pre-open from 07:00 to 09:59 Sydney time and normal trading from 09:59:45 to 16:00; June 30 is not listed among ASX cash-market holidays for 2026.
June 30, 2026
Zip Co (ASX:ZIP) finishes A$50m buyback below market, shares climb
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Zip Co (ASX:ZIP) finishes A$50m buyback below market, shares climb

ASX cash trading hadn’t started at the dateline. Pre-open is set by the exchange for 07:00 Sydney time, with regular trading slots from 09:59:45 through 16:00, according to the Australian Securities Exchange. Zip Co Ltd closed Monday at A$3.13, booking a strong gain. But the big story sits in the buyback numbers, not the latest jump. The company’s announcements page listed two separate buyback updates dated June 29. No earnings update dropped on Monday.
June 29, 2026
Pro Medicus (ASX:PME) jumps $1.9 billion after EchoIQ AI heart deal tests stock price
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Pro Medicus (ASX:PME) jumps $1.9 billion after EchoIQ AI heart deal tests stock price

As of the dateline, normal ASX trading wasn’t open yet. The exchange lists standard hours as roughly 09:59:45 to 16:00 Sydney time, so Monday’s closing price is the last full session. Pro Medicus, Ltd. climbed 4.54% to A$197.45 on Monday, adding to strong gains in June as the healthcare software stock stayed in focus. The S&P/ASX 200 Index gained 0.68% to 8,823.4, lifted by moves in tech and healthcare.
June 29, 2026
Northern Star buyback loses ground after gold miner drops below repurchase price
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Northern Star buyback loses ground after gold miner drops below repurchase price

Northern Star Resources Ltd heads into Tuesday’s ASX trade looking soft, despite touting a A$500 million buyback. The shares are now under the average price the company paid to buy back stock so far, and it could bump into its share cap before the money runs out. Northern Star traded at A$20.12 at Monday’s close, off A$0.47, or 2.28%. Yahoo Finance showed 4.12 million shares changed hands. This comes ahead of normal ASX cash trading, which ASX says starts about 09:59:45 and runs to 16:00 Sydney time.
June 29, 2026
Fortescue shares up as miner hits 200Mt shipped, market keeps an eye on margins
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Fortescue shares up as miner hits 200Mt shipped, market keeps an eye on margins

Fortescue Ltd climbed Monday after the iron ore company said it shipped more than 200 million tonnes in a year. But investors are watching the spread between the share price and iron ore itself. At press time, Sydney markets hadn't opened for Tuesday yet. Regular ASX trading is scheduled from 09:59:45 to 16:00 local time. Fortescue last closed at A$19.520, rising A$0.449, or 2.36%. The S&P/ASX 200 added 0.68% to finish at 8,823.4 on Monday.
June 29, 2026
FTSE 250 lags FTSE 100 as housebuilders pressured by mortgage drop
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FTSE 250 lags FTSE 100 as housebuilders pressured by mortgage drop

London had finished trading at the usual 0800-1630 BST hours when the numbers came in. The main story wasn’t the FTSE 100’s minor fall. Domestic names took the bigger hit, with mid-caps dropping harder than the FTSE’s biggest stocks. Hargreaves Lansdown’s market board was running late, with the FTSE 100 off 23.80 points at 10,484.22. The FTSE 250 dropped 132.34 points to 23,014.85. The FTSE All-Share slipped 0.26%.
June 29, 2026
Macquarie trades near record, staff plan buyup mostly off-market
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Macquarie trades near record, staff plan buyup mostly off-market

Macquarie Group Ltd heads into Tuesday’s pre-open close to a record. But the A$734 million employee share plan isn’t the real figure for investors. Only A$53.3 million was actually bought on the market. The rest happened off market, meaning the exchange-traded purchase was much smaller than the full staff-share number. ASX cash trading was not open at the dateline since it was still ahead of the standard session. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sydney time on business days. June 30 isn’t on ASX’s 2026 list of named holidays.
June 29, 2026
National Grid stock climbs, £70bn grid plan exceeds market cap
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National Grid stock climbs, £70bn grid plan exceeds market cap

National Grid plc added ground Monday, outpacing the broader London market. Investors continued to pile in, backing a regulated asset-growth pitch with a footprint that now outstrips the company's equity value. The stock was last seen at 1,255p, up 0.76%, at 15:02:06 BST. It traded between 1,239.5p and 1,257p so far today. The FTSE 100 slipped 0.06% on the same feed. Reuters said UK shares lost ground earlier after Middle East tensions weighed on sentiment.
June 29, 2026
Diageo (LON:DGE) shares edge up with traders watching cost-cut talk ahead of August update
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Diageo (LON:DGE) shares edge up with traders watching cost-cut talk ahead of August update

Diageo plc climbed in London Monday, outperforming the FTSE 100 as traders looked to cost cuts and broker upgrades, setting aside lagging U.S. spirits sales. The London Stock Exchange was open as usual, with trading from 0800 to 1630 local time. Davy quoted Diageo at 1,596.00p, up 19.50p, or 1.24%, at 1401 BST with a 20-minute lag. Shares opened at 1,571.00p, hit a low of 1,556.10p, and pushed to 1,598.50p. That set a 2.7% range for the day against Friday’s close.
June 29, 2026
Tesco trades higher as repurchase hits 59% of target, grocery share cools
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Tesco trades higher as repurchase hits 59% of target, grocery share cools

Tesco PLC traded higher in London on Monday. A new buyback update showed Tesco has now executed around 59% of its planned £750 million repurchase, providing some direct per-share support as UK grocery volume figures remain mixed. London Stock Exchange was open for business, with the regular session running from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. BST. TradingHours.com confirmed the exchange was open Monday. As of 10:55 BST, the FTSE 100 was down 0.27% at 10,479.49. Tesco traded at 463.70p, up 3.80p, or 0.83%, according to delayed London South East data.
June 29, 2026
easyJet (LON:EZJ) stock trails Castlelake offer on deal terms snag
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easyJet (LON:EZJ) stock trails Castlelake offer on deal terms snag

easyJet plc shares remain priced with a takeover discount, after the airline gave Castlelake access to only limited commercial information. The delayed quote showed the stock at 580.2p to sell, 580.6p to buy, off 0.51% for the day. Shares opened at 587p and closed previously at 583p. The discount figure is what investors are watching. Castlelake put forward a fourth offer at 650p a share in cash. easyJet turned it down, calling it too low, but said more access to data could bring a “more attractive proposal”.
June 29, 2026
IAG shares dip on Heathrow cost dispute, offsetting oil price drop and dividend
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IAG shares dip on Heathrow cost dispute, offsetting oil price drop and dividend

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA shares dropped Monday. But for investors, fuel wasn’t the only concern. The British Airways parent is trading close to its old highs, as a new dispute about who pays for Heathrow’s expansion brings attention to a costly item the company can’t hedge. IAG was last at 473.25 pence, off 9.45 pence, as of 0946 BST. Volume was 2.24 million shares. The stock is trading 3.99% under its 52-week high of 492.90 pence from June 25, but it's still up 39.5% for the year, per delayed market data.
June 29, 2026
Glencore lags other miners as copper tightness doesn’t boost shares
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Glencore lags other miners as copper tightness doesn’t boost shares

Glencore plc ticked higher early in London on Monday, adding 0.79% to 518.75 pence in a Cboe Europe print at 09:10:56 BST. The move gave little relief to a shaky short-term trend for the big FTSE 100 commodities group. The FTSE 100 slipped 0.08% in delayed trading. What’s strange is Glencore shares dropped even though copper supply is still tight. LME cash copper finished at $13,287 a tonne on June 26, up 0.7% from a day ago. LME copper inventories slid to 336,475 tonnes from 349,225 tonnes on June 22, down 12,750 tonnes.
June 29, 2026
BP stock trails Shell after Brent rally leaves discount on debt
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BP stock trails Shell after Brent rally leaves discount on debt

BP PLC ticked up on Monday. But gains lagged Shell as traders continued to give BP a weaker read, keeping a discount in place over its higher debt load, despite oil pushing higher after new U.S.-Iran strikes. BP was at 470.60 pence, gaining 1.20p, or 0.26%, as of 08:55 BST after London opened. Shell added 13p to 2,911p, up 0.45% at the same time. BP volume stood at about 2.02 million shares, only 4% of the 65-day average. Shell saw 272,110 shares change hands, roughly 3% of its 65-day average.
June 29, 2026
Rolls-Royce (LON:RR) stock steady as China A330neo deal eyes cash flow
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Rolls-Royce (LON:RR) stock steady as China A330neo deal eyes cash flow

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc ticked higher in early London trading on Monday, but the gain was modest for a stock often seen as a top test of aero-engine cash generation in Europe. By 09:04 BST, shares changed hands at 1,414.60p, up 0.60% during London’s main session, as the FTSE 100 slipped around 0.11%. China Eastern’s latest order landed with 25 A330neo widebodies on the table at a sticker price of around $9.35 billion. The jets run on Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines—so with two engines for each plane, that’s 50 installed. The filing seen by Reuters didn't break out a separate price for the engines or say anything about service contracts.
June 29, 2026
BlueScope Steel (ASX:BSL) holds above revised bid as ASX open approaches
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BlueScope Steel (ASX:BSL) holds above revised bid as ASX open approaches

ASX cash trading had yet to start at 07:02 AEST, with standard Sydney hours from 9:59 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. BlueScope Steel Limited last changed hands at A$33.46—right around the level that stalled the last takeover. Any fresh move will likely have to grapple with price, not just topping up a premium. The clean number here is the spread to the old offer. SGH Limited and Steel Dynamics Inc. updated their bid to A$34.00 a share. But BlueScope said the A$1.65 in declared dividends brings that down to A$32.35, warning that if more distributions are announced the board would put the assessed scheme price at A$31.00.
June 28, 2026
BAE Systems (LON:BA) buyback case looks better after shares fall with UK defence review coming
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BAE Systems (LON:BA) buyback case looks better after shares fall with UK defence review coming

BAE Systems plc had a mixed week, bouncing on Friday while the broader market slumped, but still posted a lower finish over five days. The dip means its fresh buyback program will pick up more shares with the same money. BAE closed at 1,808p in London, up 0.89% for the day, Hargreaves Lansdown data said. The FTSE 100 lost 0.21% on Friday. But BAE finished the week 2.1% lower than last Friday's close.
June 27, 2026
NatWest (LSE: NWG) steady at 636p as Starmer quits, traders see quiet session
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NatWest share price: Berenberg 860p target leaves £16 billion gap after weekly gain

NatWest Group Plc ended Friday at 656.40 pence, down 4.60p on the day, after trading between 646.00p and 661.80p. The stock still gained 2.9% on the week from the prior Friday’s 637.80p close, beating the FTSE 100, which rose 1.4% over the same span. The useful detail for investors is where the buying came from. Monday accounted for 42.2 million shares, about 35% of NatWest’s 118.9 million shares traded across the week. The stock jumped 3.95% that day to 663.00p, then gave back some ground but kept most of the weekly gain.
June 27, 2026