Economics 24 April 2026 - 1 May 2026

Reynolds Consumer Products Faces Key Cost Issue at Start of June
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Reynolds Consumer Products Faces Key Cost Issue at Start of June

Reynolds Consumer Products Inc. is set to open Monday at $21.67, after sliding 1.95% on Friday. That loss capped a short Memorial Day week where the stock ended down about 0.6% from the previous Friday’s close. With not much in the way of new company news, the setup is now in focus. The main thing for investors is whether they reward Reynolds for a strong Q1 or keep the pressure on the stock as June gets underway with aluminum and resin costs still up.
June 1, 2026
ASX Today: Australia Stock Market Finally Bounces — But the RBA May Decide How Long It Lasts
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ASX Today: Australia Stock Market Finally Bounces — But the RBA May Decide How Long It Lasts

Australian shares broke their eight-day losing streak on Friday, helped by gains in miners and supermarket names after a tough stretch for risk assets. The S&P/ASX 200 ended 0.74% higher at 8,729.80, with the All Ordinaries adding 0.8% to finish at 8,955. Still, the benchmark posted a five-day decline of 0.65%. Timing’s key here. Out of 33 economists Reuters surveyed from April 27 to April 30, 30 predict the Reserve Bank of Australia will push the cash rate up by 25 basis points to 4.35% on May 5. “Inflation is basically too high in Australia,” AMP’s My Bui said. Westpac’s Luci Ellis flagged more uncertainty after May, calling the outlook “necessarily less certain.”
May 1, 2026
Lloyds Banking Group Profit Beat Faces Test as Shares Slip and War Risks Cloud Outlook
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Lloyds Banking Group Profit Beat Faces Test as Shares Slip and War Risks Cloud Outlook

Lloyds Banking Group shares slipped Friday, down 1.4% to 98.27p by 13:36 BST, according to market data, undoing some of Thursday’s advance. Investors looked past the bank’s improved first-quarter profit, focusing instead on a bleaker UK economic outlook and new credit charges tied to the war. Lloyds is closely watched as a barometer for UK consumers, the mortgage market, and small-business lending. The bank posted statutory pre-tax profit of £2.025 billion in the first quarter, marking a 33% jump from last year. Higher income, cost discipline, and limited impairments all played a role.
May 1, 2026
NatWest Group Shares Slide After £2 Billion Profit Beat Meets Iran War Charge
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NatWest Group Shares Slide After £2 Billion Profit Beat Meets Iran War Charge

NatWest Group Plc shares dropped Friday, even as the UK bank logged a 12% jump in first-quarter operating profit before tax and bumped up its income outlook. Investors zeroed in on a £140 million charge linked to the Iran war and more troubling signs for the UK economy. Timing is key here. British banks continue to enjoy robust lending income, but fallout from the Middle East conflict has started creeping into credit models, mortgage assumptions, and inflation outlooks. NatWest’s central scenario: 0.4% UK GDP growth this year, 5.5% unemployment, inflation at 3.5%.
May 1, 2026
Unilever Price Hikes Are Coming After Dove Maker Flags War-Driven Cost Shock
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Unilever Price Hikes Are Coming After Dove Maker Flags War-Driven Cost Shock

Unilever PLC plans to implement targeted price increases after costs linked to the Iran war climbed more than anticipated. Still, robust demand for Dove, Vaseline, and home-care lines pushed the company past first-quarter sales projections. The timing’s key: big consumer-goods players are once again probing how much price pressure shoppers can handle after a two-year stretch where plenty of families switched to cheaper alternatives. Unilever finance chief Srinivas Phatak said expected cost inflation for the full year will hit €750 million to €900 million—running €350 million to €500 million above what the company forecast at the year’s open.
May 1, 2026
Legal & General Shares Rise as BoE Plan Puts Pension Buyout Growth to the Test
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Legal & General Shares Rise as BoE Plan Puts Pension Buyout Growth to the Test

Legal & General Group Plc shares climbed in London on Thursday. The spotlight, though, shifts to regulation: the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority is pushing for stricter capital requirements on funded reinsurance—a setup life insurers rely on to offload risk to mostly offshore reinsurers. Timing is key here. Legal & General has staked its growth ambitions on retirement income and pension risk transfer, and the PRA’s decision could reshape how UK insurers price and structure major pension buyout transactions. In these buyouts, insurers assume responsibility for defined-benefit pension payments—typically spanning decades.
April 30, 2026
Lloyds Banking Group Profit Jumps 33% as Iran War Risk Clouds UK Bank Outlook
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Lloyds Banking Group Profit Jumps 33% as Iran War Risk Clouds UK Bank Outlook

Lloyds Banking Group plc posted a 33% jump in first-quarter pretax profit, topping forecasts as lending income improved and expenses dropped. Still, the UK lender flagged risks tied to the Iran war, cautioning that growth might slow and unemployment could climb. Lloyds stands out these days as a clear signal on the state of British consumers and housing. On Thursday, its April business survey landed: UK business confidence slid 11 points to 44%. Economic optimism? That just logged its steepest fall since April 2020, pressured by inflation jitters, global uncertainty, and rising rates.
April 30, 2026
Unilever Sales Beat Forecasts, But Price Hikes Are Coming as War Costs Bite
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Unilever Sales Beat Forecasts, But Price Hikes Are Coming as War Costs Bite

Unilever PLC plans to hike prices in certain markets and categories after cost inflation tied to the war ran hotter than anticipated — despite the Dove and Axe parent topping first-quarter sales estimates. Chief Financial Officer Srinivas Phatak told analysts those hikes would be rolled out “in small doses,” mostly during the second half. Nestle, Procter & Gamble, and Reckitt are contending with similar cost pressures. The timing’s key here: Unilever is just starting to see volume growth again, after years when consumer-goods names pushed prices higher and saw buyers drift to budget brands. In the first quarter, underlying sales growth—excluding currency and portfolio effects—came in at 3.8%. Volume added 2.9% to that, price 0.9%.
April 30, 2026
Bank of England Rate Decision Today: Oil Shock Puts Three UK Rate Hikes Back on the Table
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Bank of England Rate Decision Today: Oil Shock Puts Three UK Rate Hikes Back on the Table

Investors have piled back into Bank of England rate-hike wagers, now factoring in nearly three quarter-point moves by year-end as oil prices spike on the Iran war, just ahead of the UK central bank’s policy call. That’s the pivot. Where traders once expected the BoE to hold—or perhaps even cut—this year, fresh worries over energy costs are shifting the debate. Now, the question is whether policymakers will be pushed to keep rates elevated, or even bump them up once more.
April 30, 2026
Oil Price Shock: Brent Tops $126 as Trump’s Iran Blockade Deepens Hormuz Crisis
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Oil Price Shock: Brent Tops $126 as Trump’s Iran Blockade Deepens Hormuz Crisis

Brent crude futures shot up to $126.41 a barrel on Thursday, hitting levels last seen in March 2022. The rally followed news that U.S. President Donald Trump would receive updates on possible new military actions targeting Iran, with the Strait of Hormuz still functionally shut. WTI, the top U.S. crude benchmark, climbed past $108. Hormuz isn’t just another shipping lane—it’s essential. The International Energy Agency puts the 2025 daily flow at roughly 20 million barrels of crude and oil products, or about a quarter of all seaborne oil trade worldwide. On top of that, LNG shipments out of Qatar and the UAE via the strait make up close to 20% of global LNG trade.
April 30, 2026
UK & AU Stock Market Today: Live Updates 30.04.2026
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UK & AU Stock Market Today: Live Updates 30.04.2026

LIVEMarkets rolling coverageStarted: April 30, 2026, 12:00 AM EDTUpdated: April 30, 2026, 11:57 PM EDT ASX ETF Picks for Retirement Blend Stability with Growth Potential April 30, 2026, 11:57 PM EDT. Investors eyeing retirement on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) are increasingly considering Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) that offer a balance between stability and growth. ETFs provide a way to diversify portfolios by investing in a basket of securities, potentially reducing risk compared to single stocks. This approach suits retirees or those nearing retirement who prioritize capital preservation alongside steady returns. While the content is educational and not a direct
April 30, 2026
Gold Price Drop Deepens as Fed Holds Rates and Iran War Fuels Inflation Fear
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Gold Price Drop Deepens as Fed Holds Rates and Iran War Fuels Inflation Fear

Gold dropped for the third session in a row on Wednesday, sliding to its lowest level in a month as focus turned from safe-haven flows to the potential inflation and interest rate impact of the Iran war. By late morning in New York, spot gold slipped 1% to $4,550.39 an ounce. U.S. gold futures tracked the move, also down 1%, last trading at $4,563.30. This matters: the war’s influence on bullion is running both directions now. Gold tends to attract buyers when markets get rattled, but it doesn’t offer interest. So, when oil-fueled inflation lifts Treasury yields and pushes rate cuts further out of reach, gold feels the heat.
April 29, 2026
Visa Stock Jumps After Earnings Beat as Consumer Spending Defies Slowdown Fears
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Visa Stock Jumps After Earnings Beat as Consumer Spending Defies Slowdown Fears

Visa surged roughly 8% out of the gate Wednesday, boosted by a stronger-than-expected profit report and a hike to its full-year forecast—evidence that card spending hasn't cracked under inflation and global tensions. Shares changed hands recently at $334.00, down from an opening print of $337.57. Investors keep an eye on Visa’s numbers, since the company’s payment volumes offer a quick snapshot of U.S. consumer and business spending habits—especially as markets look for any weakness in the American consumer. Unlike card issuers, Visa doesn’t lend; it just moves payments. That means its performance highlights how much people and companies are actually spending, without taking on the same credit risk.
April 29, 2026
Fed Meeting Today: Powell’s Final Act Puts Rate Cuts, Warsh and Fed Independence on the Line
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Fed Meeting Today: Powell’s Final Act Puts Rate Cuts, Warsh and Fed Independence on the Line

The Federal Reserve looks set to hold rates steady on Wednesday, with Jerome Powell possibly facing his last policy meeting as chair. As the Fed’s inflation battle continues, the leadership transition is picking up speed: Kevin Warsh, tapped by President Donald Trump to succeed Powell, is heading for a Senate committee vote that’s also slated for Wednesday. This isn’t your standard rate call. Powell’s chairmanship wraps up May 15, though his spot on the Fed’s Board of Governors doesn’t expire until January 2028. That sets up an open question: does he bow out entirely or stick around as an internal counterweight?
April 29, 2026
Trump’s Tariff Plan B Targets Economies Behind 99% of U.S. Imports
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Trump’s Tariff Plan B Targets Economies Behind 99% of U.S. Imports

Public hearings kick off Tuesday as the Trump administration resets its trade strategy, pivoting to traditional statutes after the Supreme Court blocked Trump’s sweeping emergency tariff plan. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said it’s teeing up two days of testimony on whether 60 economies are falling short on banning and policing imports tied to forced labor. Time’s tight. The temporary 10% import surcharge, slapped on via Section 122 of the Trade Act as a balance-of-payments measure, can’t last more than 150 days unless lawmakers step in. Right now, it’s set to expire at 12:01 a.m. EDT on July 24, according to a Federal Register notice.
April 28, 2026
Coles Group Price-Test Week: Fuel Costs, Supplier Demands Put Q3 Sales in Focus
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Coles Group Price-Test Week: Fuel Costs, Supplier Demands Put Q3 Sales in Focus

Coles Group Ltd faces a key week on pricing, with investors eyeing its third-quarter sales update due May 1. The focus: can the grocer maintain sales volumes as suppliers push to pass on higher costs in fuel, packaging, and agriculture? Woolworths, Coles’ main competitor, is set to report its Q3 F26 numbers just a day earlier, April 30, giving investors an early look at how both are navigating cost pressures. It’s a tough moment. Australians are tightening their belts as petrol prices spike, fueled by the Middle East war. For businesses, pushing through higher freight and fuel costs isn’t flying—household budgets have already been squeezed dry.
April 26, 2026
Australia Stock Market Week Ahead: One CPI Number Could Decide the ASX 200’s Next Move
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Australia Stock Market Week Ahead: One CPI Number Could Decide the ASX 200’s Next Move

ASX stocks are staring down a CPI hurdle this week after the S&P/ASX 200 ended its fourth consecutive session lower—wrapping up Friday at 8,786.5, a dip of 0.08% for the day and a slide of around 1.8% over the week. “Soft week,” said Capital.com’s senior market analyst Kyle Rodda to AAP, adding that Australia continues to lag behind Wall Street’s record-breaking streak. The March CPI reading is now set to dominate the ASX’s focus this week. The Australian Bureau of Statistics releases the figure at 11:30 a.m. AEST Wednesday—landing just days ahead of the Reserve Bank’s May 4-5 board meeting and the policy call scheduled for May 5.
April 26, 2026
BHP’s China Deal Could Reset Iron Ore Pricing — Rio and Fortescue Are Watching
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BHP’s China Deal Could Reset Iron Ore Pricing — Rio and Fortescue Are Watching

BHP Group Ltd’s agreement with China’s main iron ore buyer has shifted from contract negotiations to impacting market prices, leaving iron ore futures drifting as traders tried to balance ongoing Chinese steel demand and the likelihood of additional BHP shipments making their way to the top global consumer. This matters right now: the agreement wraps up a months-long spat that had threatened BHP’s relationship with its top customer, just as Chinese steel mills start to rebuild inventories ahead of the May Day holiday. And it’s a test—how much sway does Beijing really hold in iron ore pricing, beyond just the volume it buys?
April 26, 2026
Bank of England Warning Puts Global Stocks on Notice as AI and Private Credit Risks Build
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Bank of England Warning Puts Global Stocks on Notice as AI and Private Credit Risks Build

Bank of England Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden says global equities are trading above sustainable levels and warned of a likely pullback, arguing that stock prices are overlooking significant risks to the global economy. “There’s a lot of risk out there,” Breeden told the BBC. The Bank, she added, anticipates a market correction at some stage. The timing of the warning is awkward, hitting just as markets diverge. London’s FTSE 100 keeps slipping, while tech-driven gains have sent Wall Street and Tokyo to fresh highs. Investor bets that Middle East turmoil won’t dent company earnings are holding up sentiment.
April 25, 2026
UK Stock Market Today: FTSE 100 Rally Breaks as Oil Shock and BoE Warning Hit London
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UK Stock Market Today: FTSE 100 Rally Breaks as Oil Shock and BoE Warning Hit London

London’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.8% to 10,379.08 on Friday, breaking a four-week winning streak. Higher oil prices, dimming bets on swift U.S.-Iran peace, and a Bank of England caution on global equities all pressured sentiment. The mid-cap FTSE 250 tracked the move, also dropping 0.8%. This shift is significant: London’s rally—previously buoyed by a tentative relief trade following the U.S.-Iran ceasefire news—faces a fresh challenge. Crude prices have jumped past $100 a barrel, and jitters persist over the Strait of Hormuz, still a crucial artery for global energy flows.
April 25, 2026
BHP Group’s China Iron Ore Truce Comes With a Pricing Catch
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BHP Group’s China Iron Ore Truce Comes With a Pricing Catch

BHP Group Ltd will switch to a Chinese iron ore price index for its Jimblebar Fines product, settling a protracted dispute with China Mineral Resources Group, according to three sources cited by Reuters in a report published by Energy News. This pivot hands more pricing clout over BHP’s key iron ore product to China’s state buyer, following a stretch of procurement bans. China stands as BHP’s largest client, and iron ore is still the miner’s main source of cash, despite its ongoing push into copper.
April 24, 2026
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