Business 15 May 2026 - 17 May 2026

LegalZoom Drops Ahead of Shareholder Meeting as AI Fight Hangs Over Stock
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LegalZoom Drops Ahead of Shareholder Meeting as AI Fight Hangs Over Stock

LegalZoom.com traded lower in premarket Wednesday, with the stock near $6.53 as investors prepared for the company’s annual meeting. Shares have had trouble translating stronger sales into better numbers on the bottom line. The latest price was off 14.5 cents from Tuesday’s close, giving LegalZoom a market cap near $1.16 billion. The timing sets the scene. U.S. markets are open as usual, and Nasdaq’s 2026 holiday list shows the next full day off is Juneteenth, June 19. LegalZoom’s shareholder meeting is scheduled for later in the day, not on a weekend or holiday.
June 3, 2026
Diageo Could See Moves Monday on Berkshire Exit, Lewis Report
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Diageo Could See Moves Monday on Berkshire Exit, Lewis Report

Diageo shares face pressure Monday with investors reacting to a late-week report on a management shake-up and a Reuters item that said Berkshire Hathaway no longer holds a stake in the Guinness maker. Diageo’s London shares finished Friday at 1,529.5 pence, rising 1.97% for the day but losing around 0.9% since the prior week’s close. The weekend’s pause could prove important after Bloomberg said Friday that a group of top Diageo executives will exit as Chief Executive Dave Lewis works on a major overhaul. Now, investors have to figure out next week if Friday’s move up was real momentum or just some relief in an otherwise weak trading stretch.
May 16, 2026
Haleon Holds Up as FTSE Falls, Next Up Monday
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Haleon Holds Up as FTSE Falls, Next Up Monday

Haleon PLC got a lift Friday while the broader London market dropped. Shares finished at 332.9 pence, up 3.8p or 1.15%, trading about 0.5% higher than last Friday’s close. Volume came in at 23.1 million shares. London is closed for the weekend, so Friday’s close is the last live price until trading resumes next week. The London Stock Exchange runs regular hours Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. BST.
May 16, 2026
Vodafone Shares Drop; Germany Is the Next Focus
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Vodafone Shares Drop; Germany Is the Next Focus

LONDON — Vodafone Group shares are set for a tough week, following a steep drop on Friday. Investors shrugged off the company’s raised profit outlook, with attention turning back to Vodafone’s ongoing struggles in Germany, its largest market. Vodafone shares fell 4.48% to 110.8 pence on Friday in London, with volume at 101.48 million. The FTSE 100 dropped 1.71% but Vodafone’s move was sharper.
May 16, 2026
Reckitt Shares Bounce on AI Effort, Investors Hold Off Ahead of AGM
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Reckitt Shares Bounce on AI Effort, Investors Hold Off Ahead of AGM

Reckitt Benckiser Group finished up on Friday, with shares rising after the maker of Dettol and Durex held an investor event focused on artificial intelligence and product development. Even so, the stock stayed down for the week. Reckitt closed Friday at 4,597p, rising 51p, or 1.12%. Shares hit that same level earlier in the session. The stock is down about 1.6% for the week, with Friday’s climb outpacing a soft FTSE 100. Reckitt ended at 4,671p on May 8.
May 16, 2026
Unilever in focus as traders look to Monday open after slump
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Unilever in focus as traders look to Monday open after slump

Unilever PLC finished the week lower, with shares ending Friday at 4,207 pence in London. That’s a drop of 16.5p, or 0.39%, before the market closed for the weekend. The stock is trading close to its April low following a week where UK risk assets fell and investors reassessed the company’s portfolio moves. London trading is shut Saturday, just standard business days, no special holiday. The focus shifts to Monday, as investors watch for any private-equity offer for Magnum Ice Cream and what it could do for Unilever's stake. Some wonder if it boosts value or just complicates Unilever's ongoing breakup.
May 16, 2026
Coles faces court setback on ‘Down Down’ promo, boosting fine risk
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Coles faces court setback on ‘Down Down’ promo, boosting fine risk

Coles Group Ltd is facing penalties after Australia’s Federal Court ruled its “Down Down” price campaign misled shoppers about grocery price drops. The ACCC said the case involved 245 items, with the court finding false or misleading claims on some tickets. Supermarket pricing is back in the spotlight in Australia, where Coles and Woolworths hold most of the market and families face cost-of-living strain. The decision could push grocers to change “was/now” price labels, which show current prices against earlier, higher ones.
May 16, 2026
Ampol in Spotlight With Emergency Diesel Plan Giving Fuel Company Larger Hand
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Ampol in Spotlight With Emergency Diesel Plan Giving Fuel Company Larger Hand

Australia is adding about 150 million litres of diesel to supply, with fresh deals that include Ampol. This move draws Ampol deeper into the government’s emergency fuel-security plan as global supply issues weigh on importers and refiners. The government said three new shipments, totalling about 900,000 barrels, will go to South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and Victoria. Fuel security is grabbing more attention after Middle East conflict pushed up oil prices and boosted refining margins. Ampol’s Lytton Refiner Margin, which tracks refining profit before some costs, was at US$25.45 a barrel in the first quarter, up from US$6.07 a year ago. Refinery production climbed 10% to around 1.4 billion litres, according to company AGM documents.
May 16, 2026
Wesfarmers Strategy Day Puts Bunnings, Kmart Cost Squeeze In Focus
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Wesfarmers Strategy Day Puts Bunnings, Kmart Cost Squeeze In Focus

Wesfarmers Limited picked June 10 for its 2026 Strategy Briefing Day in Sydney, putting a spotlight on group plans as cost pressures tighten across Australian retail. The company said in a filing that presentation materials will hit the ASX ahead of an 8:30 a.m. AEST webcast. Timing’s key here as borrowing costs are climbing again. On May 5, the Reserve Bank of Australia bumped its cash rate target—the overnight rate guiding loan costs—up by 25 basis points to 4.35%. The RBA pointed to rising fuel and commodity prices, plus initial signs that companies facing higher costs were preparing to raise their own prices.
May 15, 2026
BHP Group Ltd Stock Slides After Record Run as New CEO’s Copper Plan Takes Centre Stage
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BHP Group Ltd Stock Slides After Record Run as New CEO’s Copper Plan Takes Centre Stage

BHP Group Ltd lost ground Friday, with shares slipping 2.58% to A$60.46 on the ASX, as traders locked in recent gains in the mining sector and weighed incoming CEO Brandon Craig’s focus on copper. Shares had climbed as high as A$61.61 earlier in the week, a record, according to Reuters. More details at BHP’s investor hub. Timing’s key here. Craig steps in as CEO July 1, and his initial pitch to investors cuts it down to one thing: can BHP—the world’s largest listed miner—keep ramping up copper with its current mines, some new partnerships, and maybe a few smaller deals, or does it need another acquisition on the scale of Anglo?
May 15, 2026
Diageo plc Shake-Up: Guinness Maker’s New CEO Cuts Top Ranks as U.S. Slump Bites
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Diageo plc Shake-Up: Guinness Maker’s New CEO Cuts Top Ranks as U.S. Slump Bites

Diageo plc is set to lose several top executives, with North America chief marketing and innovation officer Ed Pilkington, Africa president Hina Nagarajan, and chief human resources officer Louise Prashad all on their way out. The shake-up comes as new CEO Dave Lewis moves forward with broad changes at the Guinness and Johnnie Walker parent, according to Bloomberg, which cited sources familiar with the situation. These shifts are coming into focus as Lewis shifts gears from identifying problems to actually making moves. Diageo is still working to shore up investor confidence after disappointing sales, a trimmed dividend and a steep drop in its share price. The trouble spot remains North America.
May 15, 2026
M&S Shares Face Results Test as Marks & Spencer Starts £340 Million Warehouse Build
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M&S Shares Face Results Test as Marks & Spencer Starts £340 Million Warehouse Build

Marks & Spencer Group plc has kicked off work on a £340 million automated food distribution hub in Northamptonshire—the biggest supply-chain spend in its history—as the retailer looks to ramp up food sales and grab a bigger slice of the grocery basket. Kevin Bennett, head of logistics at M&S Food, described the project as a “major step” that will “boost capacity” and drive down long-term service costs. The calendar matters: M&S will unveil its full-year results May 20, setting the stage for investors to gauge if food sales, store upgrades, and logistics investment are paying off—especially after a tough stretch for UK retailers.
May 15, 2026
Compass Group Just Won a Major U.S. Campus Deal. Investors Are Watching the Bigger Test
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Compass Group Just Won a Major U.S. Campus Deal. Investors Are Watching the Bigger Test

Compass Group PLC scored a new U.S. outsourcing contract, with the University of Kentucky tapping the caterer’s North American division as its preferred provider for an extensive mix of campus, healthcare, and athletics services. Timing here isn’t random. The award lands just days after Compass, the world’s top caterer, bumped up its 2026 profit outlook—pointing to steady demand from clients across companies, hospitals, and universities fueling fresh contract wins. What’s more, this Kentucky deal isn’t simply about food; it’s exactly the type of bundled campus contract Compass now seeks out, spanning multiple services.
May 15, 2026
Coca-Cola HBC Stock Faces Fresh Test as Dividend Day Meets Q1 Revenue Miss
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Coca-Cola HBC Stock Faces Fresh Test as Dividend Day Meets Q1 Revenue Miss

Coca-Cola HBC AG’s London-listed shares were quoted lower on Friday after the bottler traded without the right to its newly approved €1.20-per-share dividend, keeping the FTSE 100 drinks group in focus a week after a revenue-growth miss. AJ Bell data showed the stock at 4,156p/4,158p, down 0.34%, with a market value of about £15.15 billion. The timing matters because the share move now has two parts: the routine ex-dividend adjustment, and investors’ reaction to a first-quarter update that was not quite clean. Reuters reported on May 7 that Coca-Cola HBC’s organic revenue, a like-for-like sales measure, rose 11.6%, below the 11.8% expected in a company-compiled consensus, and that the shares fell as much as 5.3% that day.
May 15, 2026
Sage Group plc’s AI Leadership Shake-Up Lands Days Before Results—Why Investors Are Watching
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Sage Group plc’s AI Leadership Shake-Up Lands Days Before Results—Why Investors Are Watching

Sage Group plc has tapped Krish Vitaldevara for chief product officer and Anand Swaminathan for chief strategy officer, bringing two tech-heavyweights onto its executive roster as the company looks to tighten its AI and cloud push ahead of interim results next week. According to Sage, Vitaldevara starts May 18 and Swaminathan takes up his post June 15; both will be working out of the firm’s San Jose, California office. Timing here isn’t trivial. Sage will report its first-half fiscal 2026 numbers on May 21, and investors want proof the company’s bets on AI are fueling growth—not just boosting expenses. The latest company-compiled sell-side consensus puts first-half organic revenue growth at 9.8%. “Organic” strips out currency swings and M&A impact.
May 15, 2026
Legal & General Takeover Buzz Jolts FTSE 100 Stock As CEO Says No Sale Is On The Table
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Legal & General Takeover Buzz Jolts FTSE 100 Stock As CEO Says No Sale Is On The Table

Legal & General Group Plc shares barely budged in London on Friday, sticking near Thursday’s sharp gain. Takeover chatter continued to swirl around the FTSE 100 insurer and asset manager, despite Chief Executive António Simões insisting the company isn’t weighing a sale or a break-up. Early Friday afternoon, shares changed hands at 263.10p on the offer and 263.20p on the bid, slipping 0.27% after Thursday’s 6.16% jump. AJ Bell pegged Legal & General’s market cap near 14.56 billion pounds.
May 15, 2026
BP PLC Weighs Egypt Gas Asset Sale as New CEO’s Debt Push Gets Real
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BP PLC Weighs Egypt Gas Asset Sale as New CEO’s Debt Push Gets Real

BP PLC is weighing the possible sale of certain natural gas holdings in Egypt, according to four people familiar with the situation, Reuters reported. Sources emphasized that BP hasn’t made a final call yet. When asked, a BP spokesperson declined to address what they described as market speculation. The oil giant, under new CEO Meg O’Neill, has funneled over $35 billion into Egypt over a span of sixty years and is responsible for around 60% of Egypt’s gas output via a combination of operated fields and joint ventures. The timing is key. O’Neill, who stepped in as CEO on April 1, has informed staff that BP will kick off a reorganisation in June, splitting into two core divisions: upstream—covering oil
May 15, 2026
Rio Tinto PLC Makes BP Legal Hire as Shares Slide From 52-Week High
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Rio Tinto PLC Makes BP Legal Hire as Shares Slide From 52-Week High

Rio Tinto PLC tapped Trudi Charles, a longtime BP executive, as its incoming chief legal officer. The appointment lands as the miner is navigating major copper and iron ore projects, turbulent commodity swings, and sluggish London share performance. Charles is set to take over from Isabelle Deschamps as Chief Legal Officer, Governance & Corporate Affairs, with Rio Tinto confirming she’ll come on board Aug. 1. Currently BP’s deputy general counsel and senior vice president overseeing legal, supply, trading and shipping, Charles has logged more than two decades at the energy giant. “Deep legal experience and strong commercial insight,” is how Rio Tinto Chief Executive Simon Trott described her background.
May 15, 2026
Intertek Takeover: EQT’s £9.4 Billion Bid Moves Closer After Board U-Turn
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Intertek Takeover: EQT’s £9.4 Billion Bid Moves Closer After Board U-Turn

Intertek Group plc edged nearer to a takeover by Sweden’s EQT, with its board signaling it’s ready to back a final £60-a-share cash proposal. The board also agreed to open up its books for confirmatory due diligence, the final review before a buyer locks in a deal. Intertek, listed on the FTSE 100, had batted away three prior bids from EQT, sticking with plans for a strategic review that might have carved up sections of the business. Now, the UK Takeover Panel has given EQT until 5 p.m. on June 11 to put up a binding offer—or step aside.
May 15, 2026
SSE Raises Profit Outlook Before Results, But the Boost Comes With a Catch
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SSE Raises Profit Outlook Before Results, But the Boost Comes With a Catch

SSE PLC bumped up its full-year adjusted EPS outlook following a shift in how it tallies losses from Neos Networks, nudging the British utility’s profit target higher days ahead of its annual results. Adjusted EPS, the company’s preferred profit gauge, factors out certain items or restates them to give a cleaner earnings view. What really matters for investors is where this upgrade comes from. Sure, the headline earnings get a lift, but it's thanks to an accounting change—not because SSE has seen a real jump in wind output, power prices, or grid returns.
May 15, 2026
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