News 25 April 2026

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

Stock Market Today: Live Updates 15.07.2026

LIVEMarkets rolling coverageStarted: July 15, 2026, 4:00 AM EDTUpdated: July 15, 2026, 12:23 PM EDT RECI trust's 10.3% yield: £2,000 could be worth £2,396 by July 2027, analysts say July 15, 2026, 10:12 AM EDT. Real Estate Credit Investments (LSE:RECI), a FTSE-listed trust lending to European property developers, is paying a 10.3% dividend yield. The shares are down 8% in the last year, leaving them at a 15% discount to net asset value. But the dividend has held at 3p per share each quarter. The trust makes money on higher rates in riskier parts of the real estate market. European
July 15, 2026
Lloyds Buyback Before Q1 Results: 12.2 Million Shares Put Capital Returns in Focus
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Lloyds Buyback Before Q1 Results: 12.2 Million Shares Put Capital Returns in Focus

Lloyds Banking Group snapped up 12,170,976 ordinary shares on Friday, pushing forward with its 2026 buyback just ahead of its quarterly results. The purchase, handled by Goldman Sachs International, saw prices ranging from 96.98 pence up to 98.62 pence, landing an average of 97.6987 pence per share by volume. The stock will be cancelled, according to a regulatory filing. Timing is key here. Lloyds will release its first-quarter interim management statement on Wednesday, April 29. Chief Financial Officer William Chalmers is set to walk through the numbers at 9:30 a.m. Investors will be watching closely for updates on margins, expenses, and credit quality after a choppy stretch for UK banks.
April 25, 2026
SSE Stock Gets New Catalyst as UK Power-Price Shake-Up Tests Utility Earnings
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SSE Stock Gets New Catalyst as UK Power-Price Shake-Up Tests Utility Earnings

Deutsche Bank bumped its price target on SSE PLC to 2,900 pence from 2,850 pence, sticking with a “buy” call as the UK utility draws attention again after Britain’s latest overhaul to power-market returns. The broker pointed out that the government’s proposed wholesale Contracts for Difference could make one of SSE’s more volatile earnings streams less risky. Timing is key here. Britain has just unveiled plans: older low-carbon generators could take up voluntary fixed-price power contracts, and the Electricity Generator Levy—currently at 45%—will jump to 55%. The policy also involves Contracts for Difference, or CfDs, which lock in a set price for a generator’s output, shielding them from the full swings of market rates.
April 25, 2026
BP PLC Faces Investor Revolt Before Meg O’Neill’s First Big Results Test
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BP PLC Faces Investor Revolt Before Meg O’Neill’s First Big Results Test

BP PLC’s fresh executive team faces its first-quarter results with a bruise: shareholders shot down two board-endorsed proposals at the annual meeting. That’s a jolt for Chair Albert Manifold and CEO Meg O’Neill, who are working to recalibrate the oil giant’s strategy. The vote shook up what would have been a straightforward AGM, turning it into a governance hurdle early on. The clock is ticking for BP. The company wants investors to buy into its strategy: shifting back toward more profitable oil and gas projects to boost earnings and trim its debt. But there’s pressure from some major shareholders, who are demanding greater transparency over climate risks and their own rights as shareholders.
April 25, 2026
Fresnillo PLC Shares Face Fresh Pressure After Silver Output Drop, Even as 2026 Guidance Holds
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Fresnillo PLC Shares Face Fresh Pressure After Silver Output Drop, Even as 2026 Guidance Holds

Fresnillo PLC slipped 1.63% to finish Friday at 3,370 pence, underperforming as investors reacted to a first-quarter dip in silver production. The Mexican miner, however, stood by its output guidance for 2026. Throughout the week, shares tied to metals—including Fresnillo—were buffeted by shifting commodity prices and broader market caution. This is significant: Fresnillo isn’t some fringe player in silver. The company calls itself the world’s top primary silver producer, also leading in gold output in Mexico. That’s why shifts in ore grades — basically, how much metal each ton of rock contains — get extra scrutiny, hinting at what’s ahead for both production levels and costs.
April 25, 2026
UK Stock Market Today: FTSE 100 Rally Breaks as Oil Shock and BoE Warning Hit London
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UK Stock Market Today: FTSE 100 Rally Breaks as Oil Shock and BoE Warning Hit London

London’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.8% to 10,379.08 on Friday, breaking a four-week winning streak. Higher oil prices, dimming bets on swift U.S.-Iran peace, and a Bank of England caution on global equities all pressured sentiment. The mid-cap FTSE 250 tracked the move, also dropping 0.8%. This shift is significant: London’s rally—previously buoyed by a tentative relief trade following the U.S.-Iran ceasefire news—faces a fresh challenge. Crude prices have jumped past $100 a barrel, and jitters persist over the Strait of Hormuz, still a crucial artery for global energy flows.
April 25, 2026
Australia Stock Market This Week: ASX 200’s Worst Week Since March as Oil Shock, Fortescue Selloff Bite
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Australia Stock Market This Week: ASX 200’s Worst Week Since March as Oil Shock, Fortescue Selloff Bite

The S&P/ASX 200 ended Friday at 8,786.50, capping a 1.8% drop for the week—its steepest decline since mid-March—as the market struggled with Middle East jitters, a selloff in healthcare, and sliding miners. On the day, the benchmark edged down 6.9 points, or 0.08%. Miners shed 1.1%. Banks, though, eked out a late 0.3% gain. Timing is key here: the selloff landed just as investors juggled two themes—potential diplomacy efforts in the Middle East and the threat that stubbornly high oil prices could keep inflation burning. Higher crude bumps up fuel costs, can bite into company margins, and tends to firm up expectations for where interest rates might head next. The ASX’s RBA Rate Indicator shows how the market prices potential
April 25, 2026
Glencore’s South Africa smelter rescue now hinges on a fast Nersa ruling
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Glencore’s South Africa smelter rescue now hinges on a fast Nersa ruling

Glencore plc’s chrome business in South Africa is throwing its support behind efforts to accelerate regulatory sign-off on Eskom’s power-tariff relief proposal, as a key May 11 labor deadline looms over the bid to revive shuttered ferrochrome smelters. Time is tight: South Africa’s energy regulator Nersa published an April 22 call for stakeholders to weigh in—written comments, plus a public hearing—on proposed changes to Eskom’s negotiated pricing deals with Samancor Chrome and the Glencore-Merafe Chrome Venture. These negotiated pricing agreements? They’re custom electricity contracts struck with major power consumers.
April 25, 2026
British American Tobacco Shares Rise After Morgan Stanley Makes BAT Its Top European Tobacco Pick
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British American Tobacco Shares Rise After Morgan Stanley Makes BAT Its Top European Tobacco Pick

Shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. climbed Friday, following a double upgrade from Morgan Stanley, which bumped the stock up to overweight and put it at the top of its European tobacco picks. The call lent new momentum to a trade focused less on volume, more on cash returns. Overweight, in broker lingo, signals expectations that the stock will outpace its peers or the broader benchmark. This shift is in focus as investors debate if BAT’s cash payouts are enough to counter years of cigarette decline and stricter nicotine regulations. Shares closed Friday at 4,302 pence, up 1.97%, making BAT a standout on the FTSE 100—where the benchmark dropped 0.75%.
April 25, 2026
Reckitt Benckiser Durex Headache Deepens as China Price Scare Follows Weak Quarter
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Reckitt Benckiser Durex Headache Deepens as China Price Scare Follows Weak Quarter

Reckitt Benckiser Group plc is under new pressure in China, with news of rising condom prices spreading quickly online. The viral warning has sparked chatter about stockpiling, hitting one of the company’s vital growth markets only days after it posted quarterly sales that fell short of forecasts. This issue is moving front and center after China and India gave Reckitt’s emerging markets results a lift in the first quarter. Durex sales in China, though, have stalled—condoms and contraceptive pills are now hit with a 13% value-added tax, pushing up prices throughout the supply chain. Karex Bhd, which makes more condoms than anyone and counts Durex and Trojan among its customers, says it may hike prices 20% to 30% if supply
April 25, 2026
Shell Plc Keeps Buying Back Stock. The May 7 Earnings Test Comes Next
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Shell Plc Keeps Buying Back Stock. The May 7 Earnings Test Comes Next

Shell Plc snapped up roughly 1.45 million shares for cancellation on Friday, pushing forward with its buyback just days ahead of the scheduled end for its $3.5 billion program. According to a company notice, the purchases spanned both London and European trading venues. Average prices landed near £33.17 to £33.20 in the UK, and between €38.27 and €38.29 on euro exchanges. This is significant: buybacks now stand out as a leading indicator of Shell’s approach to managing cash. Simply put, a buyback means the company is purchasing its own shares, then cancelling them. That shrinks the overall share count, potentially boosting returns per share even if profit growth wobbles. According to Shell, the buyback programme aims to cut issued share
April 25, 2026
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc Wins Fresh Europe SMR Deal as Czech Nuclear Bet Moves Forward
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Rolls-Royce Holdings plc Wins Fresh Europe SMR Deal as Czech Nuclear Bet Moves Forward

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc’s small modular reactor business has entered an early works agreement with Czech utility ČEZ Group, kicking off groundwork for what would be the Czech Republic’s inaugural small modular nuclear unit at Temelín. The deal gives the British group another toehold in Europe’s nuclear scene. According to Reuters, the timeline for the first Czech SMR now stretches into the latter half of the 2030s, a slip from the previously floated mid-2030s target. This month, Rolls-Royce SMR made the jump from being just a contender to actually signing contracts in both Britain and the Czech Republic—finally putting its years-long reactor pitch into motion with site visits, permit filings, and supply-chain prep. Small modular reactors—SMRs—are designed for assembly line production,
April 25, 2026
Unilever Stock Watch: Nigeria Profit Jump Puts Spotlight on April 30 Q1 Test
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Unilever Stock Watch: Nigeria Profit Jump Puts Spotlight on April 30 Q1 Test

Unilever PLC approaches its April 30 first-quarter update backed by new numbers out of Nigeria: its local arm delivered a 26% jump in revenue and matched that with a 26% gain in net profit for the quarter, thanks mainly to strong performance in foods and increased volumes. Timing is critical here. Investors are probing whether Chief Executive Fernando Fernandez can sustain Unilever’s momentum, especially after February’s caution that 2026 underlying sales growth might only scrape the lower edge of its 4% to 6% multi-year target, thanks to weaker U.S. and European demand. The Q1 2026 trading statement arrives Thursday.
April 25, 2026
London Stock Exchange Group Stock Rises After Record Quarter. The AI Question Is Next
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London Stock Exchange Group Stock Rises After Record Quarter. The AI Question Is Next

Shares of London Stock Exchange Group plc climbed Friday, with the company sounding a more optimistic note on its 2026 revenue guidance. Boosted by strong volumes and resilience in its subscription data units, the stock ended the session up 1.83% at 9,992 pence. By contrast, the FTSE 100 dropped 0.75% to 10,379.08. This development takes on fresh significance as LSEG aims to show it can maintain solid growth in its market-data and trading infrastructure business—even with clients experimenting with artificial intelligence tools that could disrupt financial data purchasing. At the same time, Elliott Management’s involvement has zeroed in attention on margins, buybacks, and strategic decisions.
April 25, 2026
RELX PLC Says AI Is Driving Growth. The Market Is Still Asking One Big Question
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RELX PLC Says AI Is Driving Growth. The Market Is Still Asking One Big Question

RELX PLC finished the week a touch stronger, with shares ticking up 0.45% to 2,701p on the sell side and 2,703p to buy, as the information and analytics giant stuck with its full-year guidance. Even so, questions lingered among investors about the impact of fresh artificial intelligence tools on RELX’s legal-data segment. The FTSE 100, for its part, slipped 0.75%. Timing’s playing a key role. RELX wants to make the case that AI isn’t just a challenge for LexisNexis—its legal research arm—but also a catalyst for growth throughout the group. On Thursday, the company reported a solid start to the year across all four divisions, reiterating its outlook for robust gains in both underlying revenue and adjusted operating profit. “Underlying
April 25, 2026
BAE Systems Stock Hit as £10 Billion Norway Frigate Deal Reopens Royal Navy Worries
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BAE Systems Stock Hit as £10 Billion Norway Frigate Deal Reopens Royal Navy Worries

BAE Systems dropped 2.9% to finish at 2,020.5 pence in London on Friday, a notable retreat for the defence giant as fresh scrutiny over Type 26 frigate build slots brought renewed attention to its Clyde shipyards. According to Bloomberg, shares fell 59.5p, with trading wrapped for the session. This isn’t just paperwork—Type 26 anchors a £10 billion deal with Norway, tying together a joint British-Norwegian order for 13 anti-submarine frigates. For BAE, it’s proof that swelling NATO budgets could keep the assembly lines running for quite some time.
April 25, 2026
HSBC Holdings Calls HK$1.5 Billion, €2 Billion Notes Before Earnings Test
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HSBC Holdings Calls HK$1.5 Billion, €2 Billion Notes Before Earnings Test

HSBC Holdings Plc plans to redeem HK$1.5 billion in 1.55% notes and €2 billion of fixed-to-floating-rate notes maturing in 2027 this June, according to a filing. Both securities are set to see their London listings canceled after the buybacks. The move lands just under two weeks before HSBC’s first-quarter results come out. The date stands out. HSBC will post its first-quarter 2026 results on May 5, 5 a.m. BST, followed by an investor and analyst call that same day. That’s when investors get their first unclouded read on funding costs, capital rebuilding efforts, and where dividends are headed.
April 25, 2026
Barclays Makes Its Move in £9 Billion Car-Finance Fight Before Key Deadline
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Barclays Makes Its Move in £9 Billion Car-Finance Fight Before Key Deadline

Barclays PLC isn’t going to contest the UK’s motor-finance compensation plan, pulling away from what could have been a major legal scrap over the Financial Conduct Authority’s initiative—one that’s set to hit the sector with around £9.1 billion in costs. The bank told Sky News it’s aiming for “a swift resolution for customers,” yet still took issue with parts of the plan, calling some elements “regulatory overreach.” The timing is crucial: lenders and trade groups have until Monday, April 27, to push back against the plan. With Barclays lining up alongside Lloyds Banking Group and Santander, the supposed united front among big high-street banks takes a hit. Yet, some in the motor-finance sector are still considering legal options.
April 25, 2026
UK & AU Stock Market Today: Live Updates 25.04.2026
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UK & AU Stock Market Today: Live Updates 25.04.2026

LIVEMarkets rolling coverageStarted: April 25, 2026, 12:00 AM EDTUpdated: April 25, 2026, 11:59 PM EDT Remote Indigenous Towns in Australia Invest in Solar Microgrids to Cut Diesel Dependence April 25, 2026, 11:33 PM EDT. Indigenous communities in remote Australia are moving towards energy sovereignty by investing in solar and battery microgrids. Djarindjin, home to nearly 400 Bardi and Jawi people, plans a multimillion-dollar project to supply 80% of its power from renewables, reducing reliance on government-supplied diesel generators. The project, Aalga Goorlil, signals a shift towards local ownership and control amid rising fuel costs exacerbated by global conflicts. Meanwhile, the
April 25, 2026
PLS Group Limited Starts A$38.1 Million-Backed Lithium Plant Trial as Battery Supply Chain Shifts
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PLS Group Limited Starts A$38.1 Million-Backed Lithium Plant Trial as Battery Supply Chain Shifts

Perth, Australia, April 25, 2026, 06:02 PLS Group Limited is kicking off commissioning of its lithium processing demonstration plant at the Pilgangoora site in Western Australia. The move comes on the back of up to A$38.1 million in government backing and an offtake agreement with China’s Ningbo Ronbay New Energy Technology. Managing Director and CEO Dale Henderson said the aim is to see if PLS can “capture more value” by advancing further down the lithium supply chain.
April 25, 2026
Telstra Group Limited’s AI Bet Has a New Number: 30% of Customer Queries
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Telstra Group Limited’s AI Bet Has a New Number: 30% of Customer Queries

Telstra Group Limited CEO Vicki Brady says artificial intelligence is now handling 30% of customer queries through the company’s website and app—a concrete figure that puts a number on the telco’s expanding use of the tech at the front line. The generative AI assistant, which generates responses and completes tasks based on data patterns, rolled out last November. It was added to Telstra’s app in March, letting customers request plan changes, adjust accounts, and troubleshoot issues. The timing isn’t incidental. Telstra wants to prove AI isn’t just for pilots or internal dashboards anymore; it’s moving into a core, high-traffic slice of operations, where labour costs, customer queues, and churn all collide.
April 25, 2026
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