News 18 May 2026

Fidus Shares Halted Today Ahead of 3.3% Dividend
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Fidus Shares Halted Today Ahead of 3.3% Dividend

Fidus Investment shares last closed at $18.63 on Friday, down 0.59%, with Nasdaq shut Monday for Memorial Day. The company declared a $0.62 per share Q2 dividend, payable June 29 to holders as of June 16. Fidus reported Q1 net investment income of $24.6 million and $12.3 million in net realized losses. The stock trades about 4.7% below its March 31 net asset value.
May 25, 2026
PLS shares stay at A$6 after ASX slump, lithium traders look to Tuesday
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PLS shares stay at A$6 after ASX slump, lithium traders look to Tuesday

PLS Group Limited closed at A$6.00 on Monday, down 0.17%, with a market value near A$19.33 billion. The S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1.45% to a seven-week low after profit warnings from Brambles and Elders. PLS reported an 86% jump in third-quarter spodumene concentrate output in April. Lithium carbonate prices in China slipped 0.26% on May 18 but remain up 11% for the month.
May 18, 2026
Telstra Stock Bucks ASX Rout as Buyback Tops A$1.12 Billion
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Telstra Stock Bucks ASX Rout as Buyback Tops A$1.12 Billion

Telstra shares closed up 0.56% at A$5.41 on Monday as the company disclosed a fresh buyback of 848,630 shares for A$4.57 million. The S&P/ASX 200 fell 1.45%, pressured by profit warnings from Brambles and Elders. Telstra has now spent about A$1.121 billion of its A$1.25 billion buyback program, which began in September 2025. The ASX cash market reopens Tuesday at 9:59 a.m. AEST.
May 18, 2026
Xero Stock to Watch After A$550 Million Buyback, Melio Margin Concerns
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Xero Stock to Watch After A$550 Million Buyback, Melio Margin Concerns

Xero shares fell 2.0% to A$78.07 Monday ahead of the ASX open, as investors weighed a planned A$550 million buyback against weaker profit and lower margins tied to its U.S. expansion. FY26 net profit dropped 27% to NZ$167.4 million, while revenue rose 31% to NZ$2.75 billion. The company added 110,000 U.S. customers and integrated Melio payments. Trading resumes Tuesday with no holiday closures scheduled.
May 18, 2026
Suncorp Steady as ASX Drops; Buyback Moves to Fore
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Suncorp Steady as ASX Drops; Buyback Moves to Fore

Suncorp Group shares closed at A$17.47 on Monday, down 0.11%, after the insurer disclosed another on-market buy-back, nearing its A$400 million cap. The company bought 497,942 shares in the previous session, bringing total repurchases to 21.8 million shares and A$389.4 million spent. The S&P/ASX 200 fell 1.45% to a seven-week low. The buy-back program runs until June 30.
May 18, 2026
Northern Star Shares Slip While Gold Miners Face Pressure
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Northern Star Shares Slip While Gold Miners Face Pressure

Northern Star Resources closed at A$20.00 on Monday, down 2.44%, after hitting A$19.53 intraday as gold miners fell amid rising bond yields. The ASX Gold Sub-Index dropped 4.0%, with Evolution Mining down 4.6%. Northern Star reaffirmed FY26 guidance of over 1.5 million ounces sold at AISC of A$2,600–A$2,800 per ounce. The KCGM mill expansion remains on track for early FY27 commissioning.
May 18, 2026
Santos Shares Rise After Alaska Oil Moves, Traders Eye Tuesday Open
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Santos Shares Rise After Alaska Oil Moves, Traders Eye Tuesday Open

Santos shares rose 2.66% to A$8.09 on Monday after announcing first oil from the Pikka project in Alaska. The company expects output to reach 20,000 barrels a day in the coming weeks, targeting 80,000 barrels a day in the third quarter. The broader ASX 200 fell 1.45% as energy stocks outperformed on higher crude prices. Santos said Pikka production will be intermittent during late-stage commissioning.
May 18, 2026
Fortescue slides with ASX mining stocks ahead of Tuesday open
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Fortescue slides with ASX mining stocks ahead of Tuesday open

Fortescue Ltd shares dropped nearly 3% to A$21.95 on Monday amid a broad selloff in Australian miners, pulling the S&P/ASX 200 to a seven-week low. BHP and Rio Tinto also fell, down 2.8% and 3.6% respectively. Brent crude traded above $110 a barrel, while Singapore iron ore slipped 0.3%. Fortescue’s only new filing showed State Street Corporation holding 5.02% of its shares.
May 18, 2026
Brambles drops 20% after U.S. pallet logjam cuts outlook
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Brambles drops 20% after U.S. pallet logjam cuts outlook

Brambles shares plunged 20.23% to A$17.63 on Monday after the company cut FY26 sales and profit growth guidance due to U.S. pallet-repair constraints. The company expects a US$60 million earnings hit and announced a new US$400 million buyback. The S&P/ASX 200 dropped to a seven-week low following profit warnings from Brambles and Elders.
May 18, 2026
ASX 200 Drops to Seven-Week Low After Brambles, Tuas Slide
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ASX 200 Drops to Seven-Week Low After Brambles, Tuas Slide

Australian shares fell to a seven-week low Monday, with the S&P/ASX 200 down 1.45% as company downgrades and higher oil prices pressured markets. Brambles dropped 20.2% after cutting its 2026 profit outlook, citing US$60 million in U.S. network costs. Tuas plunged 62.8% after a Singapore merger review was suspended. The Australian dollar slipped to 71.36 U.S. cents.
May 18, 2026
CSL shares fall under A$100 with market wary on turnaround
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CSL shares fall under A$100 with market wary on turnaround

CSL Ltd shares closed down 1.78% at A$96.22 on Monday, extending losses after last week’s profit downgrade and planned impairments. The stock is now nearly 20% below its May 11 level. CSL expects about $5 billion in additional non-cash, pre-tax impairments over FY26 and FY27. The company cited weaker U.S. and China sales, Middle East conflict, and increased competition as key pressures.
May 18, 2026
FTSE 100 climbs as major oil stocks lift London, midcaps lag
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FTSE 100 climbs as major oil stocks lift London, midcaps lag

London’s FTSE 100 closed up 1.3% at 10,323.8 on Monday, led by gains in Shell and BP as Brent crude rose on Iran war supply fears. The FTSE 250 slipped 0.07%. UK-focused stocks lagged amid inflation concerns and political uncertainty over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s future. Homebuilders fell despite higher asking prices, while banks rose after changes to ring-fencing rules.
May 18, 2026
CBA Bounces, but Australia Bank Rout Leaves Traders Asking What’s Next
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CBA Bounces, but Australia Bank Rout Leaves Traders Asking What’s Next

Commonwealth Bank of Australia shares rose 0.84% to A$160.74 Monday, bucking a 1.45% drop in the S&P/ASX 200. The gain followed last week’s record 10.43% one-day fall after CBA raised loan-loss provisions by A$200 million. CBA also named Professor Mary-Anne Williams its first Chief AI Scientist. The broader market hit a seven-week low as energy was the only sector to advance.
May 18, 2026
Macquarie drops Monday as dividend looms, ASX losses widen
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Macquarie drops Monday as dividend looms, ASX losses widen

Macquarie Group shares closed down at A$236.55 on Monday, trading ex-dividend as the S&P/ASX 200 fell 1.45% to a seven-week low. The stock’s drop followed a record A$4.847 billion annual profit and a final dividend of A$4.20 a share, 35% franked. Commodities and Global Markets profit rose 49% to A$4.221 billion. JPMorgan last week raised its price target to A$265.
May 18, 2026
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Stock Market Today

  • Oil prices drop below $100 on Iran peace deal hopes, markets rise
    May 25, 2026, 8:37 AM EDT. Oil prices fell below $100 a barrel for the first time in two weeks as hopes grow for a US-Iran peace deal. Brent crude dropped 5.5% to just under $98. The conflict's focal point remains Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy chokepoint. Equity markets responded positively, with Japan's Nikkei up nearly 3% and Europe's Stoxx 600 rising 0.8%. The dollar weakened while the pound hit its highest level since May. Analysts caution markets remain wary as past negotiations have stalled. Inflation fears have driven central banks to consider further rate hikes, with the Bank of England expected to raise rates twice in 2024.