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
BHP Dips After Hitting Record, ASX Miners Retreat
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BHP Dips After Hitting Record, ASX Miners Retreat

BHP Group’s Australian shares fell 2.8% to A$58.77 on Monday, retreating from record highs reached days earlier amid a sector-wide selloff. The S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1.45% as materials and industrials led losses. Offshore, global stocks slipped on Gulf drone attacks that pushed oil above $111 a barrel. BHP’s U.S. shares held steady in New York trading.
May 18, 2026
Aviva Stock Jumps as Direct Line Boost Gives FTSE Insurer Fresh Lift
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Aviva Stock Jumps as Direct Line Boost Gives FTSE Insurer Fresh Lift

Aviva shares rose 1.77% to 631.20 pence in late London trading Monday, outpacing the FTSE 100 after its Direct Line acquisition showed early gains. First-quarter general insurance premiums rose 19% to £3.4 billion, while retirement sales dropped to £1.1 billion from £1.8 billion. Legal & General shares edged up 0.15%. Analysts flagged risks from weaker retirement margins and market volatility.
May 18, 2026
Tesco Rises After Buyback; UK Grocery Market in Spotlight
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Tesco Rises After Buyback; UK Grocery Market in Spotlight

Tesco shares rose 2.8% to 461.40p in delayed London trade on Monday after the company bought 5.64 million shares for cancellation under its £750 million buyback programme. Rival Sainsbury’s gained 1.8%. Tesco’s move followed a 3.4% drop last week and came as the FTSE 100 rose 1.3%. Investors remain focused on food-price competition and energy costs.
May 18, 2026
Legal & General shares are barely moving — but takeover talk has the City watching
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Legal & General shares are barely moving — but takeover talk has the City watching

Legal & General Group shares rose 0.34% to 265.70p in late London trading Monday amid renewed takeover speculation, following a Financial Times report that private capital firms are circling the insurer. CEO António Simões denied any sale talks, saying he is focused on his strategy. Potential bidders reportedly see political and execution hurdles due to L&G’s size and large gilt holdings.
May 18, 2026
BAE Systems Stock Bounces Back, But the Defence Trade Has a New Test
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BAE Systems Stock Bounces Back, But the Defence Trade Has a New Test

BAE Systems shares rose 1.84% to 1,884.50 pence in London Monday, partly rebounding from last week’s drop after news of U.S. space hardware deliveries. Trading volume reached 1.30 million shares by 14:54 BST. BAE confirmed it supplied components for the U.S. Space Force’s Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar program, with the first payload on track for assembly before a 2028 launch.
May 18, 2026
Diploma Holds Near 52-Week High as Traders Wait for Earnings
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Diploma Holds Near 52-Week High as Traders Wait for Earnings

Diploma PLC shares edged up 0.07% to 6,725 pence in London on Monday, holding near recent highs ahead of half-year results and an interim dividend announcement due Tuesday. The stock remains about 8% below its 52-week peak after a March upgrade raised 2026 growth and margin targets. Nearby UK industrial stocks outperformed. Investors await confirmation that recent gains in aerospace and seals can continue.
May 18, 2026
Imperial Brands Shares Gain 2.5% as Buyback Bets Offset Tobacco Slowdown
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Imperial Brands Shares Gain 2.5% as Buyback Bets Offset Tobacco Slowdown

Imperial Brands shares rose 2.52% to 2,888p in London trading Monday after last week’s half-year results. Reported operating profit fell 36.5% due to a Delaware settlement and strategy costs, but adjusted profit edged up 0.6%. Tobacco net revenue increased 1.5% on price hikes, while next-generation products grew 7.5%. The FTSE 100 was up 0.16% amid broader market caution.
May 18, 2026
IHG Trades Near Its Peak With Buybacks in Focus
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IHG Trades Near Its Peak With Buybacks in Focus

InterContinental Hotels Group shares rose 0.7% to $149.50 in London on Monday after a new buyback notice, keeping the stock near its recent highs. IHG said it bought and cancelled 46,540 shares on May 15, leaving 149.75 million in issue. First-quarter RevPAR rose 4.4% globally, but Middle East RevPAR fell 2% and dropped about 50% in April. The FTSE 100 edged higher; FTSE 250 slipped.
May 18, 2026
Vodafone Shares Edge Up, But Traders Still Wary of One Market
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Vodafone Shares Edge Up, But Traders Still Wary of One Market

Vodafone shares rose 0.41% to 111.25p in London on Monday, recovering slightly after last week’s drop. The company reported full-year revenue up 8% to €40.5 billion, but organic service revenue in Germany, its largest market, fell 0.2%. Vodafone forecast adjusted EBITDAaL of €11.9–12.2 billion for the year ahead. Olaf Koch will join the board as a non-executive director after the 2026 AGM.
May 18, 2026
Standard Chartered Shares Rise as New CFO Arrives Ahead of Strategy Update
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Standard Chartered Shares Rise as New CFO Arrives Ahead of Strategy Update

Standard Chartered named Manus Costello as permanent CFO and Tanuj Kapilashrami as group COO on Monday. Shares rose 0.34% to 1,895 pence in London, tracking the FTSE 100. The appointments come ahead of a Hong Kong investor event Tuesday, where management will outline growth plans and financial targets. Costello joined the bank in April after senior roles at Autonomous and Merrill Lynch.
May 18, 2026
JTC stock sticks near offers as midcaps slip
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JTC stock sticks near offers as midcaps slip

JTC Plc traded at 1,315p on Monday, about 1.9% below Permira’s agreed 1,340p cash offer. The stock’s discount reflects remaining deal risks, with investors awaiting court sanction and final approvals. Societe Generale disclosed a 5.33% interest and a 4.87% short position in JTC, while Tudor Investment Corporation reported cash-settled derivatives totaling 2.36%. The FTSE 250 index fell 0.59% amid broader market pressure.
May 18, 2026
RELX Shares Edge Up, Still Facing Pressure From AI Risks
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RELX Shares Edge Up, Still Facing Pressure From AI Risks

RELX shares rose 1.44% to 2,458 pence in London on Monday, extending Friday’s rebound, but remain down 19.1% for 2026. Investors weighed RELX’s AI strategy against competition from legal tech rivals after Anthropic expanded Claude tools for lawyers. RELX is running a £350 million share buyback through May 22 as part of a planned £2.25 billion repurchase for 2026. The FTSE 100 was up about 0.5%.
May 18, 2026
3i Group slides again even after £750 million buyback
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3i Group slides again even after £750 million buyback

3i Group shares dropped about 7% to 2,060 pence on Monday, despite the company launching a £750 million buyback and cancelling 701,317 shares. The stock traded well below its reported net asset value of 3,030 pence per share. Investors focused on slowing sales growth at Action, 3i’s main asset, as like-for-like sales rose just 2.4% in the year to May 10.
May 18, 2026
NatWest Shares Slip as UK Bank Rule Shake-Up Puts £80 Billion Prize in Play
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NatWest Shares Slip as UK Bank Rule Shake-Up Puts £80 Billion Prize in Play

NatWest Group shares slipped 0.57% to 557.8 pence on Monday, underperforming the FTSE 100, after Britain announced plans to loosen bank ring-fencing rules. The finance ministry said the changes could support up to 80 billion pounds in extra business lending. NatWest’s market value stood at about 44.39 billion pounds. The bank recently bought back 3.57 million shares at an average price of 558.96 pence.
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.