News 2 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, 9:12 PM EDT Netwealth (ASX: NWL) Hits New High With $135.7 Billion in FUA for June 2026 Quarter July 15, 2026, 9:12 PM EDT. Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL) said funds under administration hit a record $135.7 billion in the June 2026 quarter, up 20.3% from a year ago. Custodial FUA inflows jumped 11% to $8.4 billion for the quarter, with $3.2 billion from new and existing intermediary relationships. Managed accounts rose to $30.5 billion, up 30%. Customer accounts climbed 12.4% to 182,276. Netwealth said market conditions added
July 15, 2026
Commonwealth Bank of Australia Says Fuel Shock Is Hitting Wallets as RBA Rate Risks Build
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Commonwealth Bank of Australia Says Fuel Shock Is Hitting Wallets as RBA Rate Risks Build

Commonwealth Bank of Australia reported Thursday that its weekly card data up to March 27 reveals a notable jump in fuel spending, with the Middle East conflict sending petrol and diesel prices higher—though total household spending barely budged. “Higher fuel prices were the most immediate transmission channel” from the conflict to Australia’s economy, said Belinda Allen, the bank’s head of Australian economics. CBA’s card flow data lands early, giving a glimpse into consumer behavior just after the Reserve Bank of Australia delivered its quarter-point hike to 4.1% in March—passed narrowly, 5-4. Traders are factoring in about a 60% probability of another move in May. On Thursday, the Albanese government fast-tracked A$6.15 billion in concessional capital, targeting businesses disrupted by global
April 2, 2026
Woodside Energy Restarts North West Shelf LNG After Cyclone as Australia Eyes Gas Security

Woodside Energy Restarts North West Shelf LNG After Cyclone as Australia Eyes Gas Security

Woodside Energy has brought its North West Shelf LNG and domestic gas output back online in Western Australia, following a shutdown caused by Severe Cyclone Narelle late last week. According to the company’s April 1 update, a “controlled return to normal operations” is in progress. The North West Shelf, Australia’s oldest and second-biggest LNG project with 14.3 million tonnes a year in capacity, is coming back online just as energy markets remain jittery—conflict in the Middle East and storm disruptions in Australia aren’t helping. Brent crude finished Thursday at $109.03 a barrel, marking a 7.78% jump.
April 2, 2026
BHP closes $4.3 billion Antamina silver deal, unlocking cash for copper push
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BHP closes $4.3 billion Antamina silver deal, unlocking cash for copper push

BHP Group has wrapped up its $4.3 billion silver streaming agreement with Wheaton Precious Metals, securing instant cash tied to its stake in Peru’s Antamina mine. BHP confirmed receipt of the upfront cash, and Wheaton noted the stream kicked in on April 1. This is relevant now because BHP has leaned on asset-management arrangements to unlock cash, with copper becoming a bigger part of the mix. Back in February, the miner reported copper accounted for 51% of group underlying EBITDA—its preferred gauge of core earnings. The Antamina stream, together with a separate iron ore power agreement in Western Australia, is set to free up more than $6 billion in cash, a figure that could hit $10 billion.
April 2, 2026
Stellantis, Leapmotor Explore Brampton EV Production as C10 “Leap Mode” Proves Fictional
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Stellantis, Leapmotor Explore Brampton EV Production as C10 “Leap Mode” Proves Fictional

Stellantis is holding early discussions with China’s Leapmotor over the possibility of producing electric vehicles at the company’s idled Brampton plant in Ontario, Bloomberg reported. Shares in Stellantis jumped 4.1% in Milan on Thursday after word got out. Timing’s key here: Canada has started allowing a small number of Chinese-made EVs back in just as it’s courting joint-venture auto investment, moves that follow U.S. tariffs throwing a wrench into North American supply lines. In January, Ottawa slashed tariffs on up to 49,000 Chinese EVs—dropping the rate from 100% to 6.1%. Then in February, the government rolled out a new auto strategy, pitching it as a bid to secure Chinese joint-venture deals and put more support behind local manufacturing.
April 2, 2026
RELX PLC Reaffirms Strong 2026 Outlook in April Investor Update as AI Fears Linger

RELX PLC Reaffirms Strong 2026 Outlook in April Investor Update as AI Fears Linger

RELX stuck to its forecast for solid revenue gains and higher adjusted operating profit this year, according to an investor update released Thursday. The company maintained its outlook, pointing to “positive momentum across the group.” This is significant for the British information and analytics group, which remains in recovery mode after a sharp selloff in February. That drop was sparked by worries that fresh AI tools might put the squeeze on established legal and data players. Legal plug-ins from Anthropic rattled RELX along with rivals Thomson Reuters and Wolters Kluwer. Still, RELX maintained that weaving AI into its own offerings should continue to fuel growth.
April 2, 2026
Tesco PLC keeps UK grocery lead as inflation holds ahead of April results
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Tesco PLC keeps UK grocery lead as inflation holds ahead of April results

Tesco PLC once again topped the UK grocery charts, growing sales by 5.0% in the 12 weeks through March 22. The retailer’s market share nudged up to 28.0%, 0.3 percentage points higher than the same stretch last year. Grocery inflation stuck at 4.3%, underlining the ongoing squeeze on family food bills. That’s coming into sharp focus with Tesco set to announce preliminary results on April 16. The latest March market figures give investors an up-to-date snapshot of trading, following the retailer’s January statement flagging full-year profit likely landing at the top end of its £2.9 billion to £3.1 billion forecast range.
April 2, 2026
UK Diesel Hits £2 a Litre in Southern England as Record March Fuel Rise Squeezes Drivers
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UK Diesel Hits £2 a Litre in Southern England as Record March Fuel Rise Squeezes Drivers

Diesel jumped close to £2 per litre at select forecourts in southern England this week, with March logging the steepest monthly surge on record for UK pump prices. The climb compounds an ongoing fuel shock, fueled by tensions in the Middle East and a spike in crude. Timing here is critical. The squeeze is hitting right ahead of the Easter bank holiday, and on Thursday, a Bank of England survey reported that British companies expect to hike prices at a quicker pace over the next year. Elliott Jordan-Doak, senior economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, warned that “second-round effects” will keep haunting rate-setters.
April 2, 2026
Prudential plc fixes $13.83 scrip dividend price as 2026 buyback rolls on
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Prudential plc fixes $13.83 scrip dividend price as 2026 buyback rolls on

Prudential plc set the reference price at which shareholders can take new shares instead of cash for its 2025 second interim dividend at $13.834482 per ordinary share on Thursday. In a separate filing, the Asia-focused insurer said it had also repurchased 351,297 shares on April 1, continuing its 2026 buyback. The update matters because Prudential has leaned harder on capital returns after stronger 2025 growth, telling investors in March it expected to return more than $7 billion over 2024-2027. It also reported a 12% rise in annual new business profit at the time.
April 2, 2026
Aviva plc says accidental damage now tops home insurance claims as costs jump 63%
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Aviva plc says accidental damage now tops home insurance claims as costs jump 63%

Aviva on Thursday reported that accidental damage accounted for 32% of home insurance claims in its data from the past four years, making it the top claim type for the insurer. The average payout for these claims jumped 63%, climbing to 1,869 pounds in 2026, up from 1,148 pounds in 2022. The company shared these stats just before the Easter bank holiday weekend. Why does this matter? Britain’s home insurers are absorbing steep property payouts, even with policy prices edging down. According to the Association of British Insurers, property claims climbed to a record 6.1 billion pounds in 2025. The typical home claim jumped 15% to 6,000 pounds, while the average buildings-and-contents premium dropped to 379 pounds in the fourth
April 2, 2026
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA Exits TAP Sale, Leaving Lufthansa and Air France-KLM to Compete for Portugal’s Flag Carrier
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International Consolidated Airlines Group SA Exits TAP Sale, Leaving Lufthansa and Air France-KLM to Compete for Portugal’s Flag Carrier

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA is stepping back from the TAP Air Portugal process, dropping its pursuit of a minority holding. That leaves just Lufthansa and Air France-KLM as publicly confirmed contenders for Portugal’s lagging airline sale. The British Airways parent said it’s shifting focus to expanding within its current portfolio. This is significant right now because TAP sits right in the crosshairs of Europe’s ongoing airline consolidation push. Cirium data shared at an industry event in January put 36 airlines behind 80% of European seat capacity. In the U.S., just six carriers hold that share. IAG had long been viewed as a top contender for TAP.
April 2, 2026
UK Stock Market Today: FTSE 100 Ends Higher as BP, Shell Ride Oil Spike
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UK Stock Market Today: FTSE 100 Ends Higher as BP, Shell Ride Oil Spike

Shell, BP, and AstraZeneca gave London’s FTSE 100 a 0.6% boost on Thursday, after news broke that Britain will host talks about reopening the Strait of Hormuz—a vital oil route in the Gulf. The FTSE 250 slipped 0.2%. This shift landed just two days after the UK's main indexes saw their sharpest monthly drop since 2020, with traders now staring down a four-day Easter stretch. One headline from Hormuz is enough to shake up oil, inflation trades, and outlooks on rates. Thursday's bump? More of a defensive pause than any real sign of relief.
April 2, 2026
Australia Stock Market Today: ASX 200 Falls 1.1% as Iran War Fears Hit Shares Before Easter Break
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Australia Stock Market Today: ASX 200 Falls 1.1% as Iran War Fears Hit Shares Before Easter Break

SYDNEY, April 3, 2026, 04:13 GMT+11 Australian stocks slipped on Thursday, erasing earlier gains as the S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1.1% to 8,579.5, marking the steepest one-day slide since March 19. Pressure mounted on miners: Rio Tinto slid 3.3%, while BHP ended 2.5% lower. Fresh comments from U.S. President Donald Trump—signaling additional strikes on Iran and offering no end date for the conflict—rattled sentiment. Hebe Chen, a market analyst at Vantage Markets, called it a blow to “fragile hope for a near-term de-escalation.”
April 2, 2026
3i Group plc shares rebound as insider buying follows Action-led selloff
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3i Group plc shares rebound as insider buying follows Action-led selloff

3i Group plc shares kept climbing Thursday, bouncing 3.99% to 2,687 pence after jumping 5.99% the day before. That rebound follows last week's slump tied to Action, but the stock remains about 40% off its October peak. Investors have been scrambling to adjust their view of FTSE 100 private-equity firm 3i, following a dramatic reset in the market’s valuation of the stock. Data from the industry shows 3i tumbled 26.6% in March, closing the month at nearly a 20% discount to its net asset value as of March 31. That’s a big swing from the prior year, when shares often fetched a 37% premium above the value of its underlying portfolio. By comparison, HgCapital Trust finished the quarter at a
April 2, 2026
National Grid plc Advances LionLink as BritNed Turns 15, Deepening UK-Netherlands Power Trade

National Grid plc Advances LionLink as BritNed Turns 15, Deepening UK-Netherlands Power Trade

National Grid plc on Thursday marked 15 years since BritNed—a 1-gigawatt subsea cable connecting Britain with the Netherlands—first went live. The anniversary coincided with the company and Dutch grid operator TenneT signing a Joint Development Agreement, pushing the LionLink project closer to a final investment decision. Timing is key here. Britain, along with its North Sea neighbors, is pushing to expand cross-border power links and offshore wind hookups to boost energy security. National Grid last month projected that adjusted earnings per share would climb 13%-15% in 2027, citing a new UK regulatory period with increased allowed revenue.
April 2, 2026
Glasgow Subway under fresh pressure after both circles suspended as access campaign grows
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Glasgow Subway under fresh pressure after both circles suspended as access campaign grows

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport faced fresh heat Thursday, with disability advocates again slamming the lack of accessibility across Glasgow’s Subway. Then, both loops on the network went down for a spell in the afternoon—no details on the cause. This is notable given SPT’s broad Subway overhaul: the new trains now run every route, platform screen doors are going in, and driverless trains are next on the list. But across the 15 Subway stations, which SPT says see 13 million riders a year, just Govan and St Enoch have elevators so far.
April 2, 2026
Rochdale Appoints Rachel Laver to Lead Growth Push as Police Impose 48-Hour Town Centre Order
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Rochdale Appoints Rachel Laver to Lead Growth Push as Police Impose 48-Hour Town Centre Order

Rachel Laver has taken the reins as managing director at Rochdale Development Agency, the group announced Thursday. The move comes as Greater Manchester Police hit the town centre with a 48-hour dispersal order following reports of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage. The overlap is significant: Rochdale is trying to shift from pitching ideas to actually executing its manufacturing-driven growth agenda. Last month, Atom Valley announced the first major project in its cluster—the Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing Centre, or SMMC—will get up to 15 million pounds from Greater Manchester’s Good Growth Fund, which is a regional investment pool. Police, meanwhile, said they needed additional powers heading into the bank holiday weekend.
April 2, 2026
British American Tobacco p.l.c. Hits Fresh FDA Hurdle as Velo Pouch Review Slows

British American Tobacco p.l.c. Hits Fresh FDA Hurdle as Velo Pouch Review Slows

British American Tobacco p.l.c. is facing another setback stateside, with the FDA’s expedited review of nicotine pouches losing steam and BAT’s Velo products now in regulatory limbo. The snag has reignited questions around one of BAT’s core growth strategies. Shares fell 1.5% on Wednesday as news of the slowdown broke, but regained 1.6% by 0948 UTC Thursday, recovering some lost ground. Timing is key here. Velo now sits at the heart of BAT’s effort to pivot away from cigarettes in the U.S.—the biggest market out there for smoking alternatives. All this comes as BAT projects that both its revenue and underlying profit for 2026 will end up toward the lower end of its medium-term goals. Back in February, BAT stuck
April 2, 2026
SSE PLC Raises FY26 Earnings Guidance as Renewables Output Climbs, Grid Spend Accelerates
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SSE PLC Raises FY26 Earnings Guidance as Renewables Output Climbs, Grid Spend Accelerates

SSE raised the lower band of its full-year earnings forecast on Thursday, crediting a jump in renewables output and increased investment in its electricity networks for the improved outlook. The UK utility is now targeting adjusted earnings per share between 147 pence and 152 pence for the year to March 31—narrowing in from its earlier view of 144 pence to 152 pence. Preliminary results land May 28. The update drops just as Britain’s energy sector hits a tricky patch. Fresh government numbers out Thursday put renewables at 52.5% of the country’s power in 2025—a record. But Cornwall Insight analysts now expect the household energy price cap, which limits standard tariffs each quarter, to jump roughly 18% in July.
April 2, 2026
GSK plc simplifies ViiV Healthcare ownership as Pfizer exits and Shionogi raises stake
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GSK plc simplifies ViiV Healthcare ownership as Pfizer exits and Shionogi raises stake

GSK plc wrapped up changes to ViiV Healthcare’s ownership structure on April 1. After Pfizer’s exit from the HIV-focused joint venture, Japan’s Shionogi bumped its stake up to 21.7%. GSK remains the majority owner with 78.3%, the company said. Timing is crucial here: ViiV is a core growth driver as GSK shifts focus toward specialty medicines. For 2025, GSK reported an 11% increase in HIV sales to 7.7 billion pounds, fueling a 17% jump in specialty medicines revenue.
April 2, 2026
Glencore Pushes South Africa Smelter Job-Cut Deadline to April 7 as Eskom Talks Enter Final Week

Glencore Pushes South Africa Smelter Job-Cut Deadline to April 7 as Eskom Talks Enter Final Week

Glencore plc's South African ferrochrome operation has delayed its potential layoff decision to April 7, after utility Eskom requested another week to wrap up internal sign-off on a cut-rate electricity deal for the embattled sector. Negotiations hang on a 62 South African cent per kilowatt-hour tariff—the price point the venture insists is necessary for smelter survival. The timing isn’t trivial. Glencore has tied the fate of mothballed smelters—and jobs—to cheaper power, as South Africa’s ferrochrome industry faces mounting strain. Back on March 19, Glencore Ferroalloys CEO Japie Fullard flagged as many as 1,500 jobs on the line without a viable agreement. Samancor Chrome, meanwhile, has already started cutting staff, even with the same headline tariff break in hand.
April 2, 2026
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