News 18 March 2026

ARKO Petroleum Stock Falls with Oil; What’s on Investor Radar
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ARKO Petroleum Stock Falls with Oil; What’s on Investor Radar

ARKO Petroleum Corp. fell 1.9% to $19.63 in late trading Wednesday as oil prices tumbled, with Brent crude down 5.31% and U.S. WTI off 5.55%. The company reported first-quarter net income of $8.1 million, up from $4.5 million a year earlier, and kept its 2026 guidance unchanged. ARKO distributes fuel to over 3,500 sites and does not produce oil. Volume reached 153,670 shares.
May 28, 2026
National Grid Stock Price Falls as Jefferies Cut Adds Fresh Pressure After UBS Sell Call
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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
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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
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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
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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
Elon Musk, SEC Enter Twitter Lawsuit Settlement Talks as Shareholder Jury Deliberates
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Elon Musk, SEC Enter Twitter Lawsuit Settlement Talks as Shareholder Jury Deliberates

Elon Musk and the SEC are negotiating a settlement over his delayed disclosure of Twitter share purchases, according to a court filing Tuesday. The talks emerged as a San Francisco jury began deliberating a separate shareholder lawsuit over Musk’s statements about fake accounts during his $44 billion Twitter takeover. Both sides asked a judge to move a key deadline to April 1. The SEC seeks a civil fine and $150 million it says Musk saved.
March 18, 2026
Lloyds Stock Price Stalls as App Glitch Probe Tests Buyback Story
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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
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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
Rolls-Royce Share Price Today: Stock Rises on UltraFan Funding and Atlas Air Engine Order

Rolls-Royce Share Price Today: Stock Rises on UltraFan Funding and Atlas Air Engine Order

Rolls-Royce shares climbed 2.9% in London after the company secured €64 million in EU funding for its UltraFan 30 engine programme and reported a 40-engine order linked to Atlas Air’s purchase of Airbus A350 freighters. The stock traded at 1,283.5 pence by 10:57 a.m. UTC. Atlas expects A350F deliveries from 2029 to 2034. Rolls said the EU funds will support UltraFan ground testing in 2028.
March 18, 2026
Primark Raises Pay to £13 for Great Britain Staff, Expands Repair Service as Retail Wage Race Intensifies
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Primark Raises Pay to £13 for Great Britain Staff, Expands Repair Service as Retail Wage Race Intensifies

Primark will raise pay for over 27,000 retail workers in Great Britain to at least £13 an hour from April 1, with London staff earning at least £13.71. The company also expanded its clothing-repair service to three stores after a successful Manchester pilot. The pay hike comes as British retailers face higher labour costs and weak sales, with Primark’s like-for-like sales down 2.7% in the 16 weeks to Jan. 3.
March 18, 2026
HSBC Stock Price Today: Shares Rise as Bank Launches $2.5 Billion AT1 Deal
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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
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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
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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
Technology News 18.03.2026
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Technology News 18.03.2026

ENDEDLive coverage has endedEnded: March 19, 2026, 12:02 AM EDT Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra display shows angle-dependent variation even with Privacy Display off March 18, 2026, 11:54 PM EDT. Samsung acknowledged that the Galaxy S26 Ultra's display can vary in brightness and color when held at certain angles and at high brightness, but said the effect should not affect everyday use. Independent lab work cited by Tom's Guide suggests the S26 Ultra is slightly dimmer than the S25 Ultra even with Privacy Display off. GSMArena also notes a different panel structure under a microscope, especially when Privacy Display is on.
March 18, 2026
Macquarie Share Price Today Climbs After Group Exits $7 Billion Kuwait Pipeline Deal
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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
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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
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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
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Stock Market Today

  • Global Fuel Crisis Fears May Be Overstated Despite Strait of Hormuz Tensions
    May 27, 2026, 11:21 PM EDT. Global fuel markets have shown resilience amid ongoing conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for 20% of world oil and 25% of gas flows. Despite initial spikes to $120 a barrel following US and Israel's campaign against Iran and threats of a full blockade, prices have since stabilized between $80-$105. Concerns over fuel rationing reminiscent of the 1970s oil crisis have eased as national strategic reserves and adjusted import-export flows contribute to market balance. The conflict remains unresolved with no clear diplomatic breakthrough, but oil prices have resisted soaring to previous record highs of $144 a barrel in 2008, suggesting fears of a global fuel crisis may be exaggerated.