Business 30 April 2026 - 2 May 2026

Shell Plc’s $15 Billion LNG Canada Prize Draws Wall Street Bidders After Export Record
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Shell Plc’s $15 Billion LNG Canada Prize Draws Wall Street Bidders After Export Record

LNG Canada exported over 1 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas in April, its first month above that level. Apollo, Blackstone, and KKR are bidding for a Shell stake in the project, with offers expected to exceed $10 billion. Shell agreed April 27 to buy ARC Resources, adding 370,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day to its portfolio. All April LNG Canada cargoes went to Asia, mostly South Korea and China.
May 2, 2026
Rolls-Royce Shares Rise as Profit Forecast Survives Middle East Shock
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Rolls-Royce Shares Rise as Profit Forecast Survives Middle East Shock

Rolls-Royce shares closed up 1.46% at 1,199.20 pence Friday after the company reaffirmed its 2026 profit and cash flow targets. Engine flying hours in the Middle East recovered to pre-conflict levels following earlier disruption from the Iran war. The stock outperformed the FTSE 100, which slipped 0.14%. Investors remain alert to risks from higher fuel costs and airline capacity cuts.
May 2, 2026
Unilever PLC Price Hikes Are Back: Dove Maker Beats Forecasts, Then Flags Cost Squeeze
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Unilever PLC Price Hikes Are Back: Dove Maker Beats Forecasts, Then Flags Cost Squeeze

Unilever reported first-quarter underlying sales growth of 3.8%, beating forecasts as volume rose 2.9%. The company plans selective price increases in the second half of 2026 due to higher costs linked to the Iran war, with inflation now expected at up to 900 million euros for the year. Shares rose 2.56% on Friday. Finance chief Srinivas Phatak said price hikes could reach 3% if cost pressures persist.
May 2, 2026
Goodman Group Shares Rise as AI Data Centre Bet Gets Fresh Investor Backing
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Goodman Group Shares Rise as AI Data Centre Bet Gets Fresh Investor Backing

Goodman Group shares rose 1.3% in Sydney Friday, extending gains as investors focused on its data centre projects, which now make up 73% of its A$14.4 billion development pipeline. The company reported A$1.20 billion in first-half operating profit and expects work in progress to reach A$18 billion by June 30. Goodman has secured 6.0 gigawatts of power capacity across 16 cities.
May 2, 2026
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Stock Gets Barclays Lift After Q1 Sales Jump, But Easter Boost Clouds the Read
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Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Stock Gets Barclays Lift After Q1 Sales Jump, But Easter Boost Clouds the Read

Barclays raised its price target on Coca-Cola Europacific Partners to $108 after the company reported first-quarter revenue of €5.00 billion, up 6.7% year-on-year. Volume rose 8.5%, boosted by six extra consumption days, while comparable daily volume grew 1.6%. CCEP maintained its 2026 outlook and declared a €0.82 interim dividend. The company expects cost of sales per unit case to rise about 1.5% this year.
May 2, 2026
Spirax Group Shares Slip Before May 13 Update That Could Shape 2026 Growth View
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Spirax Group Shares Slip Before May 13 Update That Could Shape 2026 Growth View

Spirax Group shares fell 0.98% to 7,096p in London on Friday, while the FTSE 100 dropped 0.14%. The company is set to release a trading update and hold its annual meeting on May 13. No new regulatory filings were posted in the past day. In March, Spirax reported 2025 revenue of £1.70 billion, up 5% organically, and completed a restructuring program with £40 million in annualized savings.
May 1, 2026
Anglo American’s Teck Merger Enters Crucial China Stretch After AGM Sweep
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Anglo American’s Teck Merger Enters Crucial China Stretch After AGM Sweep

Anglo American shareholders approved all 21 AGM resolutions this week, including the final dividend and board re-elections, as the company advances its planned merger with Teck Resources. China’s antitrust approval remains the last major regulatory hurdle for the deal, expected to close between September 2026 and March 2027. Anglo’s shares closed at 3,590 pence in London on Friday, up 0.10%.
May 1, 2026
IAG’s British Airways Pay Setback Puts Summer Travel and May 8 Results in Focus
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IAG’s British Airways Pay Setback Puts Summer Travel and May 8 Results in Focus

British Airways pilots narrowly voted against a proposed pay overhaul, with just under 51% opposing changes that included a 4% raise but cuts to pension and flying pay, according to Sky News. The vote comes as IAG, BA’s parent, prepares to report first-quarter results on May 8 and faces rising fuel costs amid sector-wide price hikes. BALPA plans further talks with the airline, which said it would review feedback. IAG shares fell 0.13% to 371.90 pence.
May 1, 2026
Rio Tinto-Backed MRN Clears $1.8 Billion Brazil Bauxite Hurdle
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Rio Tinto-Backed MRN Clears $1.8 Billion Brazil Bauxite Hurdle

MRN received an IBAMA installation licence for the Novas Minas bauxite project in Pará, clearing the way for construction and operations through 2041. The project, backed by Rio Tinto, Glencore, and South32, is expected to preserve over 7,500 jobs and generate 380 million reais annually in taxes. MRN plans to invest 9 billion reais and maintain annual output near 12.5 million metric tons.
May 1, 2026
Tesco PLC Buyback Rolls On as Aldi Price Fight Moves Into Express Stores
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Tesco PLC Buyback Rolls On as Aldi Price Fight Moves Into Express Stores

Tesco repurchased 415,107 shares for £2 million on April 30 as part of a £750 million buyback, reducing its share count to about 6.38 billion. The company extended its Aldi Price Match scheme to over 2,000 Express stores. NielsenIQ data showed Tesco’s UK market share at 28.5% and 3.1% sales growth over 12 weeks, while Lidl’s sales rose 8.7%. Tesco widened its 2026/27 profit guidance, citing economic uncertainty.
May 1, 2026
WH Smith Profit Warning Meets £100 ‘Shy Girl’ Resale Frenzy as UK Book Retail Faces Fresh Squeeze
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WH Smith Profit Warning Meets £100 ‘Shy Girl’ Resale Frenzy as UK Book Retail Faces Fresh Squeeze

Copies of Mia Ballard’s withdrawn novel Shy Girl are being resold online for over £100 after Hachette halted distribution amid AI authorship allegations. WH Smith, which relies heavily on travel retail, cut its profit guidance and suspended its dividend, citing travel disruption and falling passenger spending. First-half trading profit dropped to £32 million from £47 million. Like-for-like revenue growth slowed to 2% in early second-half trading.
May 1, 2026
Rolls-Royce Stock Holds Its Nerve as Profit Target Survives Middle East Disruption
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Rolls-Royce Stock Holds Its Nerve as Profit Target Survives Middle East Disruption

Rolls-Royce reaffirmed its 2026 profit and cash-flow targets after a strong first quarter, despite Middle East disruption affecting long-haul flying. Shares rose 7.6% Thursday before easing Friday. Large engine flying hours climbed 5% year-on-year, and engine deliveries increased 18%. LATAM Airlines selected the Trent 1000 XE for three Boeing 787s, as Rolls-Royce seeks to regain ground from GE Aerospace.
May 1, 2026
Shell Plc’s $15 Billion LNG Canada Stake Fight Puts Its Canada Bet in Focus
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Shell Plc’s $15 Billion LNG Canada Stake Fight Puts Its Canada Bet in Focus

Apollo Global Management, Blackstone, and KKR are bidding for a stake in Shell’s LNG Canada project, with the deal valued between $10 billion and $15 billion, Reuters reported. Shell owns 40% of the Kitimat project and recently agreed to buy ARC Resources for $16.4 billion. Shell said it bought over 1.4 million shares for cancellation on April 30. The company’s $3.5 billion buyback program ends May 1.
May 1, 2026
Beazley Takeover Takes Fresh Step as Zurich Crosses 3% Stake Threshold
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Beazley Takeover Takes Fresh Step as Zurich Crosses 3% Stake Threshold

Zurich Insurance Group has crossed the 3% voting-rights threshold in Beazley Plc as its £8.1 billion takeover advances, holding 18.16 million voting rights as of April 29. Beazley shareholders approved Zurich’s cash offer last week, but the deal still requires court sanction and regulatory approvals. Zurich’s offer values Beazley shares at 1,335 pence, above Thursday’s closing price of 1,275.5 pence.
April 30, 2026
Whitbread Shares Sink as Premier Inn Owner Puts 3,800 Jobs at Risk in Restaurant Exit
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Whitbread Shares Sink as Premier Inn Owner Puts 3,800 Jobs at Risk in Restaurant Exit

Whitbread PLC will close or sell its remaining 197 branded restaurants, including Beefeater and Brewers Fayre, risking about 3,800 UK and Ireland jobs as it shifts to a hotel-focused model. Shares fell 6.33% after the announcement. The company has agreed to sell 51 restaurants for £50 million and is in talks for 60 more. Unite union criticised Whitbread for how it communicated the job cuts.
April 30, 2026
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Stock Market Today

  • SpaceX Successfully Launches Starship V3 Ahead of Record IPO
    May 23, 2026, 1:04 AM EDT. SpaceX launched its largest and most powerful Starship V3 rocket after delays, completing a test flight that deployed 20 dummy satellites and ended with a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Despite engine failures on both rocket stages, the mission met major objectives, boosting investor and NASA confidence. NASA plans to use Starship for future lunar missions. Standing 124 meters tall, Starship V3's launch precedes SpaceX's anticipated initial public offering (IPO), potentially Wall Street's biggest and valuing SpaceX at $1.25 trillion. Elon Musk's stake in the company could make him the first trillionaire.