Finance 17 March 2026 - 18 March 2026

Salesforce Stock Near 52-Week Low as AI Fears Drown Out Agentforce Growth

Salesforce Stock Near 52-Week Low as AI Fears Drown Out Agentforce Growth

Salesforce shares fell 4.1% to $169.15 midday Thursday, nearing a 52-week low, as software stocks declined despite the company’s record quarterly revenue and expanded buyback. The drop followed news that Anthropic restricted access to its AI model after finding cybersecurity flaws, fueling concerns about software vulnerability. Salesforce’s fiscal 2027 revenue forecast missed Wall Street’s midpoint estimates.
April 9, 2026
National Grid Stock Price Falls as Jefferies Cut Adds Fresh Pressure After UBS Sell Call

National Grid Stock Price Falls as Jefferies Cut Adds Fresh Pressure After UBS Sell Call

National Grid shares fell 2.6% to 1,325.18 pence Wednesday after Jefferies downgraded the stock to Hold, following a UBS Sell call earlier in the week. Jefferies cited limited regulatory catalysts and higher real interest rates, while UBS warned the shares trade at a 57% premium to their regulated asset base. Both banks raised target prices but flagged valuation risks. National Grid recently raised its 2027 earnings growth outlook.
March 18, 2026
LSEG Stock Price Slides as Oil Shock Tests London Stock Exchange Group Buyback Rally

LSEG Stock Price Slides as Oil Shock Tests London Stock Exchange Group Buyback Rally

London Stock Exchange Group shares dropped 1.85% to 8,680 pence by 1620 GMT, underperforming the FTSE 100’s 1.04% fall as global risk assets slid. The move followed a spike in Brent crude after attacks on Iranian energy sites and hotter-than-expected U.S. producer-price data, fueling concerns about inflation and interest rates. LSEG continued its buyback program, purchasing 343,251 shares on March 16.
March 18, 2026
NatWest Share Price Today: Stock Slips After £500 Million Note Call Ahead of Ex-Dividend Date

NatWest Share Price Today: Stock Slips After £500 Million Note Call Ahead of Ex-Dividend Date

NatWest Group shares slipped 0.12% to 580.92 pence after the bank announced it will redeem £500 million of notes on March 28, a day before the stock trades ex-dividend. The move comes as NatWest prepares a £750 million buyback and a 23 pence final dividend. Shares remain about 10.9% lower since the start of 2026 and below the one-year high of 705.4 pence.
March 18, 2026
IAG Share Price Rises Despite Fresh Middle East Flight Suspensions

IAG Share Price Rises Despite Fresh Middle East Flight Suspensions

IAG shares rose 0.7% to 357.4 pence Wednesday, despite its cargo unit extending suspensions of London flights to several Middle East cities through at least May 31. The stock remains 23% below its Feb. 27 high after the Iran conflict triggered about 30,000 flight cancellations. Jet fuel prices have doubled since late February, with Brent crude up 4.7% to $108.32 a barrel Wednesday afternoon.
March 18, 2026
Lloyds Stock Price Stalls as App Glitch Probe Tests Buyback Story

Lloyds Stock Price Stalls as App Glitch Probe Tests Buyback Story

Lloyds Banking Group shares hovered at 96.19 pence by 1449 GMT Wednesday, underperforming Barclays and NatWest, as investors reacted to new parliamentary scrutiny over a recent customer-data glitch. The Treasury Committee pressed CEO Charlie Nunn for details on the March 12 outage, while Lloyds has not disclosed how many customers were affected. Lloyds traded between 96.14 and 98.34 pence through mid-afternoon.
March 18, 2026
RELX PLC stock price slips after 24 million-share sale lands at 2,565p

RELX PLC stock price slips after 24 million-share sale lands at 2,565p

RELX shares fell 1.44% to 2,594p by 1355 GMT after 24 million shares were sold overnight at 2,565p, a 2.5% discount to the previous close. The £615.6 million block sale, managed by Goldman Sachs, came as RELX continued its own share buybacks. The seller was an institutional investor. Investors remain uncertain about the impact of generative AI on RELX’s core businesses.
March 18, 2026
HSBC Stock Price Today: Shares Rise as Bank Launches $2.5 Billion AT1 Deal

HSBC Stock Price Today: Shares Rise as Bank Launches $2.5 Billion AT1 Deal

HSBC shares rose in London and Hong Kong after the bank announced a $2.5 billion AT1 capital securities sale, the first major-currency AT1 deal since the Iran conflict began. The FTSE 100 gained 0.3% as oil prices eased. HSBC closed Qatar branches amid Middle East tensions, but said it remains confident in the Gulf region. Group finance chief Pam Kaur was scheduled to speak at a London conference Wednesday.
March 18, 2026
Shell Plc Stock Hits Fresh 52-Week High as Oil Stays Above $100 and Buybacks Roll On

Shell Plc Stock Hits Fresh 52-Week High as Oil Stays Above $100 and Buybacks Roll On

Shell Plc shares hit a 52-week high Tuesday, closing up 1.73% at £34.74 in London, as Brent crude traded above $100 a barrel for a fourth day. BP also reached a new high, lifting the UK energy sector to a record. Shell confirmed ongoing $3.5 billion buybacks and a March 30 dividend payout. UK energy stocks slipped 0.6% Wednesday as Iraq resumed some oil exports.
March 18, 2026
BP Stock Price Near 52-Week High as Brent Stays Above $100, Whiting Lockout Adds Risk

BP Stock Price Near 52-Week High as Brent Stays Above $100, Whiting Lockout Adds Risk

BP shares rose 0.4% to 554.3 pence in London Wednesday, near a 52-week high, as Brent crude held above $100 a barrel for a fourth session. BP plans to lock out 800 workers at its Whiting, Indiana refinery from March 19 after contract talks failed. Brent traded at $104.02, up 0.6%, while WTI fell 1.3% to $94.93. BP’s Angola joint venture began gas production at the Quiluma field this week.
March 18, 2026
Macquarie Share Price Today Climbs After Group Exits $7 Billion Kuwait Pipeline Deal

Macquarie Share Price Today Climbs After Group Exits $7 Billion Kuwait Pipeline Deal

Macquarie Group shares rose 0.8% to A$197.3 after Reuters reported the company exited bidding for Kuwait’s $7 billion oil pipeline sale, citing conflict and uncertainty. Macquarie made no ASX announcement and declined to comment. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation has declared force majeure and cut output as the Strait of Hormuz remains the only export route. BlackRock and KKR’s involvement in the sale remains unclear.
March 18, 2026
Telstra Share Price Nears 52-Week High as Buyback Tops A$713 Million — Why TLS Stock Is in Focus

Telstra Share Price Nears 52-Week High as Buyback Tops A$713 Million — Why TLS Stock Is in Focus

Telstra closed Tuesday at A$5.25, just below its 52-week high, after disclosing a buyback of 640,803 shares for A$3.36 million on March 17. Total repurchases now stand at about 144.9 million shares worth roughly A$713.7 million. The company plans to pay a 10.5-cent interim dividend on March 27. Telstra and regulators remain A$1.3 billion apart on spectrum renewal valuations.
March 18, 2026
Santos Stock Price Today: Why ASX STO Held Firm as Oil Hit $103 and Rates Rose

Santos Stock Price Today: Why ASX STO Held Firm as Oil Hit $103 and Rates Rose

Santos shares rose to A$7.71 on March 17 as Brent crude hit $103.42 after Iranian attacks on the UAE raised supply fears. The company expects a 25–30% production boost by 2027 from Barossa and Pikka projects, despite a 25% drop in 2025 profit and plans to cut 10% of staff. Australia’s central bank raised rates to 4.1% citing energy-driven inflation risks. Santos loaded its first Barossa cargo from Darwin LNG.
March 18, 2026
Northern Star Resources share price steadies after second fiscal 2026 downgrade

Northern Star Resources share price steadies after second fiscal 2026 downgrade

Northern Star Resources shares closed up 0.39% at A$20.66 Tuesday after a two-day, 23% slide triggered by a fiscal 2026 production downgrade. The company now expects output above 1.50 million ounces, down from its previous 1.6–1.7 million ounce forecast. JPMorgan and RBC cut their target prices sharply. Evolution Mining rose 3.66% the same day, highlighting investor concerns specific to Northern Star.
March 17, 2026
Westpac Stock Price Rises After RBA Hike as Lender Lifts Mortgage Rates

Westpac Stock Price Rises After RBA Hike as Lender Lifts Mortgage Rates

Westpac shares closed up 1.39% at A$41.49 after the Reserve Bank of Australia raised its cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.10% in a 5-4 split decision. Westpac and other major banks said they will pass the full rate increase to variable home loan customers from late March. Westpac’s first-quarter net profit reached A$1.9 billion, beating analyst forecasts. Consumer sentiment remains subdued, with the latest survey still below 100.
March 17, 2026
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