News 15 May 2026

Etihad Orders 10 Boeing Jets, Raising Talk of Hard-to-Get 787 Slots

Stock Market Today: Live Updates 14.07.2026

LIVEMarkets rolling coverageStarted: July 14, 2026, 4:00 AM EDTUpdated: July 14, 2026, 3:55 PM EDT IBM Drops 25% After Earnings Miss and Spending Moves Away From Software July 14, 2026, 3:44 PM EDT. IBM shares dropped more than 25% after the company missed on second-quarter numbers and issued a profit warning. Revenue came in at $17.2 billion, up just 1% from a year ago, below analyst expectations of $17.86 billion. CEO Arvind Krishna said enterprise customers are moving budgets away from software toward datacentre infrastructure and cybersecurity, as AI hardware demand climbs. This cut into IBM’s higher-margin mainframe business. The
July 14, 2026
Westpac Mortgage Rate Hike Hits Borrowers as Big-Bank Risk Comes Back Into View
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Westpac Mortgage Rate Hike Hits Borrowers as Big-Bank Risk Comes Back Into View

Westpac Banking Corporation’s latest hike to variable mortgage rates landed on Friday, raising repayments for both new and current home-loan customers after this month’s Reserve Bank of Australia cash rate increase. At the same time, the bank bumped up some deposit rates—offering savers a bit more, while borrowers continue to feel the pinch. Timing is key here. Australia’s major banks are wrestling with rising funding costs and tighter household budgets, while fresh worries about mortgage growth have surfaced after the budget’s tax tweaks and this week’s steep slide in bank stocks.
May 15, 2026
Australia Stock Market Today: Why the ASX 200 Slipped as Miners Sank and Banks Bounced
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Australia Stock Market Today: Why the ASX 200 Slipped as Miners Sank and Banks Bounced

May 16, 2026, Sydney—03:07 AEST. Australian stocks slipped into the red by Friday’s close, erasing earlier gains as miners slumped. The S&P/ASX 200 finished down 9.9 points, or 0.1%, at 8,630.8. Banks and tech names managed to bounce, but it wasn’t enough—mining losses dominated, dragging the index to a 1.3% drop for the week.
May 15, 2026
UK Stock Market Today: FTSE 100 Sinks as Politics, Gilts and Oil Hit London
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UK Stock Market Today: FTSE 100 Sinks as Politics, Gilts and Oil Hit London

London’s FTSE 100 sank 1.7% on Friday to finish at 10,195.37, marking its steepest daily decline in over eight weeks. UK shares, government bonds, and sterling all got hit as selling intensified. The more domestically focused FTSE 250 slipped 1%. Timing is critical here. London is navigating a political shock right when energy prices are climbing and bonds are under pressure—a combination that’s quick to hit company funding, shake consumer confidence, and drag on how investors value UK assets.
May 15, 2026
Macquarie Group Ltd’s UK Energy Deal Hits Watchdog Test After Profit Boom
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Macquarie Group Ltd’s UK Energy Deal Hits Watchdog Test After Profit Boom

Macquarie Group Ltd’s bid for Energy Assets Group now faces a look from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, which is collecting feedback on the proposed deal through May 29. The CMA noted the case remains open but stressed it hasn’t yet kicked off a formal Phase 1 probe. That’s front of mind now, with Macquarie posting a robust year: net profit reached A$4.847 billion, up 30%. Its asset management unit added to the gains. The group is still pushing capital into private infrastructure—where regulatory sign-off can carry as much weight as price.
May 15, 2026
National Australia Bank Just Bought Banked. Why NAB’s Payments Push Matters Now
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National Australia Bank Just Bought Banked. Why NAB’s Payments Push Matters Now

National Australia Bank has snapped up fintech firm Banked, landing direct ownership of a payments tool that lets merchants pull funds right from a customer’s bank account—no cards needed. The country’s top business lender kept the deal’s price tag under wraps in its release. That’s significant at this stage, with Australian banks stepping up the battle for payments income and merchant ties. Their core lending operations are taking a hit: higher rates, softer consumer demand, and mounting bad-debt provisions are all in play. Account-to-account payments, stripped down, shift money straight between bank accounts—potentially sidestepping some card-network fees.
May 15, 2026
Commonwealth Bank Shares Bounce, But CBA’s A$30 Billion Shock Is Not Over
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Commonwealth Bank Shares Bounce, But CBA’s A$30 Billion Shock Is Not Over

Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s stock bounced Friday, finishing at A$159.40—a 1.91% gain for the session. Still, the move hardly touched the doubts swirling after this week’s record selloff for the lender. CBA shares had plunged earlier, but Friday’s recovery left those concerns largely intact. This isn’t your average bank stock—CBA holds the title as Australia’s biggest lender, carries serious weight in the index, and has long traded as one of the market’s priciest banks. That kind of profile means there’s almost no cushion for disappointing earnings or a dimmer view on credit.
May 15, 2026
BHP Group Ltd Stock Slides After Record Run as New CEO’s Copper Plan Takes Centre Stage
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BHP Group Ltd Stock Slides After Record Run as New CEO’s Copper Plan Takes Centre Stage

BHP Group Ltd lost ground Friday, with shares slipping 2.58% to A$60.46 on the ASX, as traders locked in recent gains in the mining sector and weighed incoming CEO Brandon Craig’s focus on copper. Shares had climbed as high as A$61.61 earlier in the week, a record, according to Reuters. More details at BHP’s investor hub. Timing’s key here. Craig steps in as CEO July 1, and his initial pitch to investors cuts it down to one thing: can BHP—the world’s largest listed miner—keep ramping up copper with its current mines, some new partnerships, and maybe a few smaller deals, or does it need another acquisition on the scale of Anglo?
May 15, 2026
Diageo plc Shake-Up: Guinness Maker’s New CEO Cuts Top Ranks as U.S. Slump Bites
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Diageo plc Shake-Up: Guinness Maker’s New CEO Cuts Top Ranks as U.S. Slump Bites

Diageo plc is set to lose several top executives, with North America chief marketing and innovation officer Ed Pilkington, Africa president Hina Nagarajan, and chief human resources officer Louise Prashad all on their way out. The shake-up comes as new CEO Dave Lewis moves forward with broad changes at the Guinness and Johnnie Walker parent, according to Bloomberg, which cited sources familiar with the situation. These shifts are coming into focus as Lewis shifts gears from identifying problems to actually making moves. Diageo is still working to shore up investor confidence after disappointing sales, a trimmed dividend and a steep drop in its share price. The trouble spot remains North America.
May 15, 2026
Imperial Brands PLC Stock Slips: Why Its £1.45 Billion Buyback Is Back in Focus
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Imperial Brands PLC Stock Slips: Why Its £1.45 Billion Buyback Is Back in Focus

Shares of Imperial Brands PLC slipped 1.87% to 2,779p in London on Friday, giving back some ground after Thursday’s pop. Investors sifted through a new share buyback filing—Imperial picked up more stock for cancellation on May 14—even as regulatory pressure on nicotine pouches and a tough second-half profit goal hung over the stock. This shift is significant: Imperial’s story now hinges on its ability to keep cash flowing and maintain cigarette pricing clout, even as it pushes to grow in newer nicotine lines. Buybacks take shares off the table, which helps prop up earnings per share—important when cigarette volumes keep sliding.
May 15, 2026
Halma Share Price Falls From 52-Week High as June Results Test Nears
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Halma Share Price Falls From 52-Week High as June Results Test Nears

Halma plc stock dropped in London on Friday, pulling back after touching a new 52-week high just the day before. The safety-technology group’s full-year results are now less than four weeks out. At 15:48 BST, the stock was changing hands at 4,520 pence, down 3.71%. Just a day earlier, Thursday, it had hit a 12-month high of 4,714 pence but remains up 50.77% over the past year. According to LSEG data published by Investors’ Chronicle, Halma carries a market cap near £17.82 billion and trades at a trailing price/earnings ratio of 51.32.
May 15, 2026
M&S Shares Face Results Test as Marks & Spencer Starts £340 Million Warehouse Build
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M&S Shares Face Results Test as Marks & Spencer Starts £340 Million Warehouse Build

Marks & Spencer Group plc has kicked off work on a £340 million automated food distribution hub in Northamptonshire—the biggest supply-chain spend in its history—as the retailer looks to ramp up food sales and grab a bigger slice of the grocery basket. Kevin Bennett, head of logistics at M&S Food, described the project as a “major step” that will “boost capacity” and drive down long-term service costs. The calendar matters: M&S will unveil its full-year results May 20, setting the stage for investors to gauge if food sales, store upgrades, and logistics investment are paying off—especially after a tough stretch for UK retailers.
May 15, 2026
Compass Group Just Won a Major U.S. Campus Deal. Investors Are Watching the Bigger Test
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Compass Group Just Won a Major U.S. Campus Deal. Investors Are Watching the Bigger Test

Compass Group PLC scored a new U.S. outsourcing contract, with the University of Kentucky tapping the caterer’s North American division as its preferred provider for an extensive mix of campus, healthcare, and athletics services. Timing here isn’t random. The award lands just days after Compass, the world’s top caterer, bumped up its 2026 profit outlook—pointing to steady demand from clients across companies, hospitals, and universities fueling fresh contract wins. What’s more, this Kentucky deal isn’t simply about food; it’s exactly the type of bundled campus contract Compass now seeks out, spanning multiple services.
May 15, 2026
Aviva plc Q1 2026: Direct Line Lifts Premiums, but Retirement Weakness Tests the Rally
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Aviva plc Q1 2026: Direct Line Lifts Premiums, but Retirement Weakness Tests the Rally

Aviva plc reported a 19% jump in first-quarter general insurance premiums, hitting £3.4 billion as the Direct Line acquisition and robust UK personal lines business gave a lift. The FTSE 100 insurer maintained its 2026 guidance. For the quarter, the combined operating ratio—claims plus costs as a percentage of premiums—narrowed to 94.1%, down from 96.6% a year ago. Investors are weighing whether Chief Executive Amanda Blanc’s £3.7 billion Direct Line deal delivers scale without hurting capital or pricing discipline. Aviva described integration as on track. Even so, the latest quarter flagged softness in retirement sales, some pressure on commercial insurance pricing, and weakening health demand.
May 15, 2026
BAE Systems Lands UK Apache Drone Spot as Project NYX Race Narrows
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BAE Systems Lands UK Apache Drone Spot as Project NYX Race Narrows

BAE Systems and three competitors have landed contracts from the UK Ministry of Defence to work up concepts for autonomous drones meant to accompany British Army Apache attack helicopters. The £10 million award leaves the defence firm in contention for a wider programme targeting operational use by 2030. Britain’s forces are in line for a bigger dose of autonomy. The ministry claims Project NYX aligns with the strategic defence review’s focus on autonomous tech. BAE, in an update to investors just last week, flagged drones and anti-drone technology as key spots for future business.
May 15, 2026
Coca-Cola HBC Stock Faces Fresh Test as Dividend Day Meets Q1 Revenue Miss
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Coca-Cola HBC Stock Faces Fresh Test as Dividend Day Meets Q1 Revenue Miss

Coca-Cola HBC AG’s London-listed shares were quoted lower on Friday after the bottler traded without the right to its newly approved €1.20-per-share dividend, keeping the FTSE 100 drinks group in focus a week after a revenue-growth miss. AJ Bell data showed the stock at 4,156p/4,158p, down 0.34%, with a market value of about £15.15 billion. The timing matters because the share move now has two parts: the routine ex-dividend adjustment, and investors’ reaction to a first-quarter update that was not quite clean. Reuters reported on May 7 that Coca-Cola HBC’s organic revenue, a like-for-like sales measure, rose 11.6%, below the 11.8% expected in a company-compiled consensus, and that the shares fell as much as 5.3% that day.
May 15, 2026
Standard Chartered Faces Fresh 1MDB Claims as $1.5 Billion Buyback Nears the $1 Billion Mark
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Standard Chartered Faces Fresh 1MDB Claims as $1.5 Billion Buyback Nears the $1 Billion Mark

Standard Chartered PLC is back in the 1MDB legal fight. On Friday, liquidators pointed to a Singapore High Court decision they say clears the way for new statutory claims against the bank’s Singapore unit. The case centers on three British Virgin Islands entities tied to the massive Malaysian fund scandal. Timing isn’t on Standard Chartered’s side. The London-listed lender is in the middle of a $1.5 billion buyback, just as investors are eyeing banks with exposure to Asia and the Middle East to see if they’ll have to shoulder higher credit costs from the Iran conflict.
May 15, 2026
Sage Group plc’s AI Leadership Shake-Up Lands Days Before Results—Why Investors Are Watching
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Sage Group plc’s AI Leadership Shake-Up Lands Days Before Results—Why Investors Are Watching

Sage Group plc has tapped Krish Vitaldevara for chief product officer and Anand Swaminathan for chief strategy officer, bringing two tech-heavyweights onto its executive roster as the company looks to tighten its AI and cloud push ahead of interim results next week. According to Sage, Vitaldevara starts May 18 and Swaminathan takes up his post June 15; both will be working out of the firm’s San Jose, California office. Timing here isn’t trivial. Sage will report its first-half fiscal 2026 numbers on May 21, and investors want proof the company’s bets on AI are fueling growth—not just boosting expenses. The latest company-compiled sell-side consensus puts first-half organic revenue growth at 9.8%. “Organic” strips out currency swings and M&A impact.
May 15, 2026
NatWest Group Plc Stock Falls: What Fitch’s AA Upgrade And New Debt Filing Mean Now
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NatWest Group Plc Stock Falls: What Fitch’s AA Upgrade And New Debt Filing Mean Now

Late Thursday, NatWest Group Plc’s markets division updated its debt-programme documents, leaving sizable sterling and dollar funding lines in place; this comes just days after Fitch upgraded multiple key NatWest subsidiaries to AA. For the lender, funding, capital, and UK rate exposure are now back under the microscope, with shares slipping in London. The filing stands out: medium-term note programmes, those standing frameworks banks use to issue bonds as needed, are a key tool for big lenders tapping wholesale markets. With UK borrowing costs shifting and the Bank of England’s policy moves stirring the sector, even standard funding documents are getting extra scrutiny.
May 15, 2026
IAG Completes €500 Million Buyback, But Fuel Shock Keeps British Airways Owner Under Pressure
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IAG Completes €500 Million Buyback, But Fuel Shock Keeps British Airways Owner Under Pressure

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA wrapped up its €500 million share buyback, snapping up 116,823,728 ordinary shares with the last lot acquired on May 14, according to a filing. That haul represents roughly 2.53% of issued capital. For now, the shares sit in treasury—owned by the company—pending a planned cancellation that requires shareholder sign-off. That’s the thing about timing. A buyback—when a company puts up cash to scoop up its own shares—typically bumps up earnings per share by shrinking the share count. Yet IAG is going ahead with this as investors keep questioning the British Airways parent on rising fuel bills, summer ticket prices, and the fallout from Strait of Hormuz troubles.
May 15, 2026
London Stock Exchange Group’s New Climate-Index Bet Puts FTSE Russell in the AI Data Race
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London Stock Exchange Group’s New Climate-Index Bet Puts FTSE Russell in the AI Data Race

FTSE Russell, part of London Stock Exchange Group plc, has reached a provisional deal with Planetrics to build climate-scenario indices and analytics—part of LSEG’s broader effort to boost the value of its data and models. FTSE Russell said both companies aim to roll out new indices before year-end. The deal is coming into focus as LSEG aims to convince investors its data unit stands to benefit—not get squeezed—by AI and changing client needs. Back in April, the company reported a 9.8% jump in first-quarter total income excluding recoveries, measured on an organic constant-currency basis. For 2026, LSEG is steering revenue growth expectations toward the higher end of its 6.5% to 7.5% target.
May 15, 2026
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