News 7 July 2026

AstraZeneca shares fall after Wainua trial miss leaves door open for rivals
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AstraZeneca shares fall after Wainua trial miss leaves door open for rivals

AstraZeneca stock fell Thursday after its Wainua drug, co-developed with Ionis Pharmaceuticals, did not meet the main goal in a late-stage study for a rare heart disease. The setback deals a blow to one of AstraZeneca’s high-profile programs outside cancer. AstraZeneca is looking for new drugs to push revenue to $80 billion by 2030, up from $45.8 billion last year. The company aims to launch 20 new medicines by the end of the decade. The timing isn’t great.
July 9, 2026
NatWest (LON:NWG) stays close to 52-week high as Evelyn deal keeps July outlook in focus
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NatWest looks at 2027 buybacks after Evelyn disposal, eyes new capital room

NatWest Group Plc slipped 0.9% to trade at a 680.0p/680.4p sell-buy level in London early Wednesday, after opening at 687.6p. The bank’s market cap stood near £54.2 billion. The FTSE 100 rose 0.2% to 10,673.85 at 1057 GMT, supported by gains in energy names. For NatWest, capital might be the bigger issue than Tuesday’s price move. The Bank of England outlined plans to relax leverage-ratio rules for the UK’s biggest banks, with a projected 20 basis-point drop in total leverage demands. Reuters reported the changes would apply to large domestic banks like Lloyds Banking Group Plc, NatWest, and Santander UK.
July 7, 2026
LSEG shares add to gains but still trail consensus target by 34% with low trading volume
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LSEG shares add to gains but still trail consensus target by 34% with low trading volume

London Stock Exchange Group plc traded up for a second day on Tuesday. Shares were at 9,032p, higher by 2.03%, at 12:51 BST. Volume came in at 137,314 shares, well below the 65-day average of 1.6 million. Day range was 8,900p to 9,102p. The published target price still sits above the live price. FTSE 100 Index was up 0.33% at 10,686.54 at 12:53 BST. Reuters had put the index up 0.2% earlier, with energy stocks helping to counter losses in mining. LSEG’s shares are tracking well ahead for a second day. On Monday, LSEG finished 2.10% higher at £88.52. The FTSE 100 dropped 0.26% that day.
July 7, 2026
Anglo American shares face thin support ahead of July copper event
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Anglo American shares drop as copper story faces output squeeze

Anglo American dropped over 3% Tuesday, lagging the FTSE 100. The market cut the miner ahead of a July production test, which will reveal if its copper-driven merger plan is getting support on the ground. Shares changed hands at 3,662p at 13:04 BST, falling 122p for the session. The stock started at 3,718p and went as low as 3,651p on volume of around 667,000 shares, according to Google Finance. Over the last year, the high hit 4,239p, with the low at 2,042p.
July 7, 2026
RELX gains as buyback pressure builds ahead of July results
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RELX stock recovers as buybacks look cheap; AI discount continues

RELX PLC climbed over 2% Tuesday. But the bigger focus for some investors is the buyback numbers. The data and analytics group is picking up shares while the valuation is still weak, and consensus still has both cash flow and earnings growing. RELX was changing hands at 2,451p/2,452p late morning in London, up 58p or 2.42% on AJ Bell’s delayed quotes. MarketScreener had RELX at 2,457p, showing a 2.67% rise, with the FTSE 100 up around 0.2%.
July 7, 2026
BAE Systems trades up as GCAP funding flows to contracts
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BAE Systems (LON:BA) still has 15% upside to analyst median after GCAP update

BAE Systems plc edged down 0.1% to 2,023p at 12:04 p.m. in London, based on 20-minute delayed quotes. Shares moved between 2,011p and 2,047p so far. The London Stock Exchange’s regular session runs from 8:00 to 16:30. BAE climbed 2.2% to 2,025p on Monday, while the FTSE 100 Index slipped 0.26%. Trading was light, with just 4.1 million BAE shares moving, under the 50-day average of 6.6 million.
July 7, 2026
Lloyds’ Halifax rebrand puts 36% of branch estate behind one UK banking brand
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Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY) stock: buybacks near 52-week high test BoE capital boost

Lloyds Banking Group plc fell 0.6% to 114.65 pence at 11:59 BST on Tuesday, lagging a 0.2% gain in the FTSE 100. The stock still sat just 1.2% below its 116.00p 52-week high, putting the day’s fall in a narrower frame: Lloyds is no longer trading like a cheap recovery bank, even as capital rules turn friendlier. The fresh data point is the buyback price. Lloyds said it bought 6,986,031 ordinary shares on July 6 from Goldman Sachs International at a volume-weighted average price of 115.2851p, with the shares to be cancelled. That was about 0.6% above Tuesday’s late-morning quote and within touching distance of the 52-week high.
July 7, 2026
Barclays £500 million buyback puts retired shares £76 million in the money
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Barclays PLC (LON:BARC) slips as rally leaves less room against analyst targets

Barclays PLC was weaker in an open London session on Tuesday, with the stock last shown at 519.50p at 11:30 BST, down 10.00p on the day. The FTSE 100 was up 20.98 points at 10,672.75 at 12:01 BST. London Stock Exchange hours run from 0800 to 1630 local time. The sharper point is the target gap. Using the latest Barclays quote and LSEG consensus data compiled by Investors Chronicle, the 575p median target now gives about 10.7% upside. That is still positive, but less forgiving for a stock that is 56.7% above its 52-week low of 331.55p.
July 7, 2026
Unilever (LON:ULVR) lags FTSE 350 with traders eyeing buyback and July results
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Unilever rallies, closing in on analyst targets ahead of July earnings

Unilever PLC shares jumped more than 3% on Tuesday, outpacing gains on the FTSE 100 ahead of the consumer group's half-year earnings later this month. Hargreaves Lansdown delayed data had Unilever at 4,695.75p, up 139p. The FTSE 100 was up 0.47% at 10,701.46. The stock is now sitting about 9.9% below the median 12-month analyst target of 5,160.27p on Investors Chronicle, after starting the week with a 13.2% gap from Monday’s 4,557p finish. That shift puts pressure on the next set of results, since the story is looking cleaner but tighter—investors now have to bet on volume growth, emerging markets and buybacks, with less of a cushion from a cheap price.
July 7, 2026
Diageo slips after 2026 outlook points to sluggish sales progress
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Diageo gains ground, but sales reset could last through 2028

Diageo plc added close to 3% on Tuesday, beating gains in the FTSE 100 after shares slipped at Monday’s close. Davy had the stock at 1,562p by 11:09 BST, up 50p on the session, trading between 1,528.5p and 1,566p so far. Hargreaves Lansdown quoted 1,559.5p/1,560.5p, showing a 3.21% move. The FTSE 100 was ahead 0.45%. The gain erased Monday’s 1.43% drop to £15.12, when Diageo lagged the FTSE 100, which slipped 0.26%. After Tuesday, the stock is still down about 27% from its 52-week peak of £21.42.
July 7, 2026
Glencore shares fall, copper drawdown dull ahead of July output test
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Glencore drops in London as Congo limits cap copper gains

Glencore plc slipped on Tuesday, bucking a rise in London’s blue-chip index. Shares made only a minor move, but investors are wrestling with whether Congo cobalt regulation and Glencore’s weighted production schedule can keep the shares up after hitting a high in June. Glencore was last seen at 513.50p as of 10:53 BST, down from its prior close at 516.00p. The London Stock Exchange is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. BST. The FTSE 100 was up 0.45% on Reuters' delayed feed.
July 7, 2026
BP (LON:BP) trades around 470p, Bay du Nord exit eases long-term capex
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BP gains after Bay du Nord exit lowers capex ahead of planned buybacks

BP PLC moved higher Tuesday after quitting the Bay du Nord oil project in Canada. Investors focused on the numbers after the move, with BP’s 37.2% share of the C$14 billion project representing about $3.66 billion in future development costs. That would have been about 28% of its planned capital spending for 2026. Shares were at 473.90p, up 6.10p or 1.30% as of 10:51 BST, LSEG data from Investors Chronicle showed. The stock has gained 27.48% over the past year, but it's still under the median 12-month analyst target of 602.59p.
July 7, 2026
Schroders shares linger close to Nuveen bid after Benchmark sale leaves 1.7% gap
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Schroders stock steady after Benchmark deal and EU sign-off

Schroders PLC stock stayed close to Nuveen’s takeover offer on Tuesday. The Benchmark advice unit sale did more to tidy up the balance sheet than to drive the share price. The stock held steady at 587p, unchanged from the open. Volume was 3.37 million shares. FTSE 100 rose 0.45% in delayed Reuters data.
July 7, 2026
Shell (LON:SHEL) lags FTSE after buyback halt and Brent fall
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Shell (LON:SHEL) edges higher on Q2 cash flow lift, Qatar dent

Shell Plc shares are up after a rebound in second-quarter cash flow helped balance out weakness from its Qatar business. Shell Plc climbed over 3% in London Tuesday after a second-quarter update showed a bounce in cash flow, which some in the market see as more important than the upgrade to gas production. Reuters said the shares were up 3.2% at 0825 GMT, while the European energy sector added 0.3%.
July 7, 2026
FTSE 100 edges lower as deal risk holds easyJet bid gap
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FTSE 100 rises as Shell, Unilever mask flat UK mid-caps; forecasts test rally

Britain’s FTSE 100 rose on Tuesday, but the cleaner trade was the split between global earners and the domestic tape. The blue-chip index was up 0.44% at 10,698.60 on delayed quotes, while the more UK-exposed FTSE 250 was up just 0.04% at 23,513.85. The London Stock Exchange was open for its normal Tuesday cash session, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. BST. That gap matters for investors. The headline FTSE move looked firm, but it leaned on oil, consumer staples and stock-specific upgrades rather than a broad UK demand trade. Trading Economics’ GB100 gauge, used as a FTSE 100 proxy, was near 10,698, about 2.2% below its February all-time high of 10,934.94, yet still above the forecaster’s end-Q3 and 12-month
July 7, 2026
Rolls-Royce (LON:RR) slips as buyback yield tightens ahead of July 30 cash check
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Rolls-Royce shares push past median target, spotlighting cash-flow test

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc shares dropped on Tuesday. The real issue for investors now is how much of the 2028 cash-flow plan is already priced into the stock. Rolls-Royce shares slipped 1.3% to 1,483.4p as of 9:57 BST, while the FTSE 100 was up 0.6% just after 09:26 BST. Google Finance showed the company's market cap at £123.86 billion, with a 52-week high of 1,532.6p, set in late June.
July 7, 2026
National Grid’s AI investment leaves stock unmoved, Ofgem review still ahead
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National Grid (LON:NG) shares trade under pre-Joulent price as AI push, debt mix in

National Grid is still below its price from before the Joulent update, with the AI power angle running into debt numbers. LONDON, July 7, 2026, 10:07 BST National Grid plc inched up 0.24% to 1,234.00 pence at 0950 BST on Tuesday, trailing the FTSE 100’s 0.61% gain at 0926 BST. The stock clawed back some ground after Monday’s drop. The London Stock Exchange ran its normal Tuesday session from 0800 to 1630 BST.
July 7, 2026
Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) steadies in London while lower-grade iron ore rivals take hit
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Rio Tinto drops as iron ore covers up Simandou, lithium move

Rio Tinto plc dropped Tuesday as the FTSE 100 pushed higher, with the miner trading near the lower end of its book ahead of next week’s production report. The London Stock Exchange was open for its normal 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. BST hours as of 10:05 BST. Delayed numbers from Hargreaves Lansdown showed Rio off 127p, or 1.81%, at 6,909/6,910p. The moves looked like an iron ore story. Rio Tinto Ltd dropped 0.9% in Sydney trading, with the Aussie miners index weaker by 0.7%. Iron ore was at $98.30 a tonne on July 6, according to Trading Economics, down 2.72% in a month. Reuters global markets had copper at $13,326 a tonne late Tuesday, off 0.58%.
July 7, 2026
Bitcoin drop knocks out $500 million in bullish crypto bets as inflation fears weigh on markets
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Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR) bitcoin sale raises dividend questions after $8.3B loss

TYSONS CORNER, Virginia, July 7, 2026, 04:23 EDT Strategy Inc, which used to be MicroStrategy, sold 3,588 bitcoin in the week to July 5, pulling in $216.0 million. This is the first big move under the company’s new plan to use some of its bitcoin to pay preferred dividends and protect its dollar reserve. Strategy didn’t sell any stock from its at-the-market program or buy back any shares during the week, according to the company.
July 7, 2026
HSBC share price pushes toward analyst highs as investors brace for next buyback
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HSBC shares in London: dividend calls in focus as private credit pulls back

HSBC Holdings Plc traded almost unchanged in early London hours Tuesday, barely moving after a new private credit risk reduction. At 09:08, AJ Bell quoted the shares at 1,464.60p to sell and 1,465.00p to buy, off just 0.04% for the day, with 1.78 million shares changing hands. The stock was trading about 8% below its year high of 1,590p, but about 65% up from its year low of 889p. HSBC is cutting back on higher-risk private credit lending, Reuters said before London trading started. The bank told some clients it won’t renew some facilities if the risk isn’t justified by returns and will shift attention to lower-risk funds, according to Reuters, which cited the Financial Times.
July 7, 2026
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