Business 23 April 2026 - 24 April 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
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA to Raise Fares as Jet Fuel Shock Hits British Airways Owner
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International Consolidated Airlines Group SA to Raise Fares as Jet Fuel Shock Hits British Airways Owner

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA plans to hike ticket prices, responding to surging jet fuel costs that are squeezing the British Airways parent. Despite the pressure, IAG noted there haven’t been any fuel supply disruptions. The fare increases add IAG to a growing list of airlines shifting the burden of a war-fueled spike in fuel costs onto customers ahead of the summer travel rush. Timing is critical here. Airlines are approaching peak season just as oil markets feel the squeeze from the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran and disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global energy shipments. IAG shares traded at 376.30 pence, slipping 1.62%. That puts the group’s market cap around 16.91 billion pounds.
April 24, 2026
Haleon Shares Edge Higher as Supplier Cut Puts Sensodyne Maker Under Fresh ESG Scrutiny
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Haleon Shares Edge Higher as Supplier Cut Puts Sensodyne Maker Under Fresh ESG Scrutiny

Haleon PLC ticked up in London trading Friday, with shares changing hands at 353.30 pence by 14:53 BST—just 0.48% higher, per London South East. The Sensodyne and Panadol owner landed in the spotlight after dropping packaging supplier Asia Symbol, a move prompted by an AFP and Gecko Project probe linking the firm to rainforest clearance in Indonesia. This issue surfaces just ahead of Haleon’s Q1 2026 trading statement and its annual general meeting, both set for April 29. That puts another concern on investors’ plates, in addition to U.S. demand, cold-and-flu sales, and margins. Both events remain scheduled for next Wednesday, according to Haleon’s calendar.
April 24, 2026
Reckitt Benckiser Shares Claw Back Losses, But Cold Season Miss Puts 2026 Targets on Trial
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Reckitt Benckiser Shares Claw Back Losses, But Cold Season Miss Puts 2026 Targets on Trial

Reckitt Benckiser Group plc ticked up in London trading Friday, though that minor gain barely eased investor worries. The Dettol, Durex and Mucinex maker fell short on first-quarter sales and flagged pressure on first-half margins. The share last changed hands at 4,790p on the sell side and 4,791p to buy, a gain of 16p, or 0.34%, based on delayed AJ Bell data. That compares with a prior close of 4,775p. This uptick followed a slide on Wednesday, triggered by results.
April 24, 2026
Southern Co-op’s 300-Branch Warning: Back Co-op Group Deal Or Face Administration
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Southern Co-op’s 300-Branch Warning: Back Co-op Group Deal Or Face Administration

Portsmouth, England, April 24, 2026, 14:57 Southern Co-op has told members the business will “most likely” go into administration if they reject a proposed merger with Co-op Group, a move that could jeopardize stores, jobs, and suppliers following three consecutive years of losses. Chair Janet Paraskeva and chief executive Ben Stimson delivered the warning in a message to members, intensifying pressure ahead of two key meetings set for May.
April 24, 2026
BP Shareholder Revolt: Climate Vote Blow Puts New CEO Meg O’Neill on the Spot
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BP Shareholder Revolt: Climate Vote Blow Puts New CEO Meg O’Neill on the Spot

BP PLC’s new execs took a hit at the company’s annual general meeting, with shareholders rejecting two resolutions the board had supported—putting fresh scrutiny on Chair Albert Manifold and CEO Meg O’Neill. This vote landed at a crucial moment for O’Neill and Manifold, marking their first big public challenge as they work to move BP back toward oil and gas after pulling away from a wider green-energy push that proved expensive. What started as a climate fight has become a governance issue: who gets to question BP, and just how much information the company owes its investors.
April 24, 2026
Why Unilever PLC’s Nigeria Profit Rise Is Landing at a Critical Moment
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Why Unilever PLC’s Nigeria Profit Rise Is Landing at a Critical Moment

Unilever PLC’s Nigerian arm posted stronger first-quarter numbers: revenue jumped to ₦59.17 billion, up from ₦46.98 billion a year ago, according to unaudited results. Profit before tax reached ₦13.42 billion, compared with ₦10.75 billion. Net profit moved higher as well, coming in at ₦7.02 billion versus ₦5.55 billion. The clock’s ticking for Unilever, with its first-quarter trading statement set for April 30. Investors want to see if the company’s emerging-market units are still pulling their weight when it comes to volume growth, especially as Unilever ramps up its focus on beauty, personal care, and home care.
April 24, 2026
JD Sports Boardroom Fight: Chair Quits After Failed Move Against CEO
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JD Sports Boardroom Fight: Chair Quits After Failed Move Against CEO

Andrew “Andy” Higginson stepped down as chair of JD Sports Fashion after his attempt to oust Chief Executive Regis Schultz failed to gain full board support, the Financial Times said Friday, citing four sources with knowledge of the situation. According to Reuters, which relayed the FT’s story, Higginson had urged the board to replace Schultz, who has been in the role for three and a half years. JD Sports’ breakup comes just ahead of its full-year earnings report set for May 7, zeroing in investor attention on how the British retailer plans to regain momentum in North America and address sluggish sales at home in the UK and across Europe. The stock slipped in London on Friday, extending declines from
April 24, 2026
KPMG Cuts 10% of U.S. Audit Partners After Retirement Push Falls Short
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KPMG Cuts 10% of U.S. Audit Partners After Retirement Push Falls Short

KPMG is set to axe roughly 10% of its U.S. audit partners—a notable move for the Big Four, which has spent years quietly steering more partners toward early exits. The news surfaced first in the Financial Times, then Bloomberg Tax filled in further details, reporting that partners got word of the cuts this Wednesday. Timing counts here—this isn’t a routine staff reduction. Partners occupy that upper tier in audit firms, carrying both ownership stakes and client oversight, so trimming their ranks signals a more aggressive overhaul of audit’s business model, even though demand for assurance hasn’t cratered. According to The Wall Street Journal, about 100 partners are affected, and performance isn’t the reason behind it.
April 24, 2026
Lynas Rare Earths Revenue Jumps 115% as U.S., Japan Lock In Non-China Supply
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Lynas Rare Earths Revenue Jumps 115% as U.S., Japan Lock In Non-China Supply

Lynas Rare Earths Ltd delivered gross sales revenue of A$265 million in the March quarter, jumping 115% from the same period a year ago and marking its highest result since late 2022. Buyers continued to seek rare earths outside China, keeping demand robust, the Australian miner said, as customers aimed to lock in non-Chinese supply chains. Timing is key here. The U.S. and allied nations are working to loosen China’s grip on the critical minerals trade, a sector it’s dominated for years. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said this week that partners should expect to incur a "national security premium" for minerals that don’t come from China. Meanwhile, new Chinese customs figures show U.S. imports of Chinese rare-earth magnets dropped
April 24, 2026
Qantas Beats Virgin On Punctuality As Fuel Shock And Fare War Bite
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Qantas Beats Virgin On Punctuality As Fuel Shock And Fare War Bite

Qantas Airways Limited pulled ahead of Virgin Australia in March for on-time performance, notching an edge as the industry faces pricier fuel and more discount fares. Numbers from the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics, published April 23, put the Qantas group at 81.9% for departures leaving on time and 80.1% for arrivals. Virgin’s network posted 78.7% and 77.7%, respectively. Reliability is suddenly a front-and-center commercial concern, no longer just a number in an ops report. Qantas, for its part, has rolled out over 2 million cut-rate domestic seats, even as fuel costs nudge fares higher and airlines pare back schedules.
April 24, 2026
Woodside Energy CEO Survives Pay Revolt as LNG Expansion Faces Investor Test
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Woodside Energy CEO Survives Pay Revolt as LNG Expansion Faces Investor Test

Perth — April 24, 2026, 05:04 AWST Woodside Energy Group Ltd shareholders gave the nod to Chief Executive Liz Westcott’s equity-based long-term incentive grant for 2026, pay that’s linked to her future performance. Still, 34.52% of votes came in against the proposal at Thursday’s annual meeting in Perth. Not a loss for Westcott—more a clear shot across the bow for the new CEO.
April 23, 2026
Cochlear Shares Extend Rout After FY26 Profit Cut, Weak Demand Warning
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Cochlear Shares Extend Rout After FY26 Profit Cut, Weak Demand Warning

Cochlear shares tumbled further on Thursday, dropping 4.6% to A$95.00 after the hearing-implant maker sharply cut its fiscal 2026 profit outlook. Blaming weaker demand across developed markets and ongoing uncertainty linked to Middle East conflict, Cochlear now expects annual profit to land between A$290 million and A$330 million—well below its previous range of A$435 million to A$460 million. Size is key here. Morningstar puts Cochlear's global cochlear implant share at roughly 60%. Still, the midpoint of the new guidance lands far short of the A$402.5 million Visible Alpha consensus, according to Reuters.
April 23, 2026
BHP Group Ltd Adds China’s COREX Index in Iron Ore Deal That Ends Months-Long Standoff
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BHP Group Ltd Adds China’s COREX Index in Iron Ore Deal That Ends Months-Long Standoff

BHP Group Ltd, the world’s third-largest iron ore supplier, has agreed to price its Jimblebar fines using a Chinese iron ore benchmark, according to people with knowledge of the deal. That move ended a protracted dispute with China Mineral Resources Group, which had been holding back on some BHP cargoes. Jimblebar fines are medium-grade, sold as small particles. This shift hands Beijing’s state buyer more influence over imported ore pricing and takes a key risk off the table for BHP’s China iron ore earnings. The timing is notable: China’s buying curbs just dropped, and only days have passed since BHP posted a surprise beat for March-quarter iron ore output.
April 23, 2026
Tesla Earnings: Profit Beat Faces a $25 Billion AI and Robotaxi Test
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Tesla Earnings: Profit Beat Faces a $25 Billion AI and Robotaxi Test

AUSTIN, Texas, April 23, 2026, 15:22 CDT Tesla bumped its 2026 capex forecast above $25 billion, pushing Musk’s robotaxi, AI chip, and Optimus robot ambitions front-and-center for investors—well before any first-quarter profit turnaround is in focus. The company said the expanded budget targets AI projects, compute power, data centers, manufacturing and research lines, plus its own AI-enabled assets, as well as retail, service, and charging operations.
April 23, 2026
Reckitt Benckiser Group plc Misses Q1 Sales Forecast, Warns on Margins as Oil Shock Bites
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Reckitt Benckiser Group plc Misses Q1 Sales Forecast, Warns on Margins as Oil Shock Bites

Reckitt Benckiser Group plc fell short of analysts’ first-quarter sales forecasts and flagged that first-half margins are set to be about 200 basis points—or 2 percentage points—lower than a year ago, as higher oil prices, lackluster cold-and-flu demand, and ongoing geopolitical issues weighed on performance. Shares in the Dettol and Durex maker slid 4.6% on Wednesday, after earlier sinking as much as 7% in the session. Reckitt finds itself under pressure right now. The company just offloaded its Essential Home division for $4.8 billion in December and is aiming to convince investors that a streamlined push on hygiene and health can keep core sales rising 4%-5%. That effort comes as Reckitt considers next steps for its Mead Johnson infant formula
April 23, 2026
British American Tobacco Extends Share Buyback Through June as Velo Gains on Zyn
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British American Tobacco Extends Share Buyback Through June as Velo Gains on Zyn

British American Tobacco kicked off the latest leg of its share buyback Thursday, appointing Merrill Lynch International to handle the purchases through June 29, just a day after the announcement. In a follow-up filing, BAT reported it snapped up 165,340 shares on April 22, set to be cancelled. This is key right now: BAT continues to prioritize returning cash to shareholders, even as it invests in next-generation offerings. Back in February, the company set out a £1.3 billion share buyback slated for 2026. For this year, though, BAT warned it’s probably tracking toward the lower bound of its medium-term growth targets.
April 23, 2026
WH Smith Profit Warning: Retailer Suspends Dividend as Iran War Hits Airport Spending
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WH Smith Profit Warning: Retailer Suspends Dividend as Iran War Hits Airport Spending

WH Smith slashed its full-year profit forecast and put dividends on ice Thursday, blaming the Middle East conflict for denting airport footfall and spending ahead of the key summer travel period. Shares dropped 9.15% in London, after falling as much as 17% earlier. The warning comes at a tricky time for WH Smith. With the UK high street business offloaded last year, the company is now leaning hard into its travel sites. Management isn’t banking on a quick turnaround in consumer sentiment, and says the crucial test will be peak summer trading.
April 23, 2026
Unilever PLC’s McCormick Food Deal Hits Fresh Labor Snag as Q1 Update Nears
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Unilever PLC’s McCormick Food Deal Hits Fresh Labor Snag as Q1 Update Nears

Unilever PLC’s European employee representatives are demanding binding job guarantees as the company moves to merge its foods unit with McCormick. That throws another complication into Chief Executive Fernando Fernandez’s most ambitious shake-up yet. Hermann Soggeberg, who chairs the Unilever European Works Council—the group representing roughly 20,000 employees across Europe and Britain—said following discussions with management that job security and equitable working terms must remain “central to the process.” The McCormick deal sits at the heart of Unilever’s strategy to pivot from sluggish food divisions to faster-growing categories like beauty, wellbeing, and home care. Unilever reports first-quarter results April 30. Analysts surveyed by the company expect comparable sales growth of 3.6% for the period.
April 23, 2026
RELX PLC Reaffirms 2026 Outlook, Starts £350 Million Buyback as Legal AI Growth Holds Up
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RELX PLC Reaffirms 2026 Outlook, Starts £350 Million Buyback as Legal AI Growth Holds Up

RELX Plc stuck with its 2026 outlook on Thursday, pointing to a solid start to the year in each of its four divisions. Shortly after shareholders approved a repurchase authorization at the annual meeting, the company launched a new £350 million buyback. RELX reported continued strength in revenue, profit, and new sales. The timing isn’t great for the industry. A Reuters Breakingviews piece pointed out that February’s AI-fueled rout knocked roughly $9 billion off RELX’s market cap in just one day, stoking fears among investors that fresh AI entrants might disrupt legal and data processes before established players have a shot to catch up.
April 23, 2026
Anglo American plc Revives Coal Sale as Three Bidders Circle Australian Mines
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Anglo American plc Revives Coal Sale as Three Bidders Circle Australian Mines

Anglo American plc’s Australian steelmaking coal assets are back in play, with at least three bidders circling after last year’s $3.78 billion Peabody Energy deal collapsed. According to Bloomberg News, Stanmore Resources, Mitsubishi Corp, and Indonesia’s PT Buma Internasional Grup remain contenders for the business, which produces coal for blast furnaces. Why does this renewed interest matter? Anglo is moving to offload less important units, aiming to boost its copper profile. Back in February, it updated investors: coal sale on track, nickel disposal agreed, De Beers split in progress. All of it tied to Anglo’s bigger pivot—copper, top-tier iron ore and crop nutrients—as it prepares to merge with Teck Resources.
April 23, 2026
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