News 18 June 2026

Etihad Orders 10 Boeing Jets, Raising Talk of Hard-to-Get 787 Slots
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Stock Market Today: Live Updates 10.07.2026

LIVEMarkets rolling coverageStarted: July 10, 2026, 4:00 AM EDTUpdated: July 10, 2026, 11:54 PM EDT WBC Shares: PE Ratio and Dividend Yield in Focus July 10, 2026, 11:51 PM EDT. Westpac Banking Corp (WBC) sits at a PE ratio of 19x, just above the sector’s 18x average, putting its value nearly in line with peers. Using FY24 earnings per share of $1.92, that sector-adjusted PE pushes WBC’s estimated price to about $35.49 compared with the recent $36.54 close. WBC and other Australian banks keep attracting buyers with steady dividends and franking credits. Analysts look at dividend discount models as well,
July 10, 2026
easyJet Share Price Falls 3% as Oil Above $100 Revives Fuel-Cost Fears
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easyJet stock steady as IAG boss talks EU roadblocks to deal

easyJet shares slipped about 0.5% on Thursday, trading at 501 pence after starting at 492.6 pence, according to delayed London prices. The move was in line with the wider drop in UK mid-caps, and there was little sign that takeover chatter had much impact. Share price is the key figure. easyJet is at about 501 pence, up about 26% from its May 29 close of 398 pence, and trading around 24% above the 403.23-pence floor Castlelake said its offer would beat. Castlelake hasn’t put in a formal approach to the board. It has until June 26 to make a bid or walk away. easyJet called the move “highly opportunistic.”
June 18, 2026
GSK Shares Gain After Arexvy Approval for More Adults in Japan
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GSK Stock Falls 1.9% Despite FDA Approval for Oral Antibiotic Utebzi

GSK shares fell nearly 2% on Thursday despite U.S. approval for Utebzi, a new oral antibiotic aimed at hard-to-treat urinary tract infections. The stock was down 37.5 pence at 1,935 pence as of 15:06 BST, compared with a 0.87% decline in the FTSE 100 shortly before 15:00. The broader market weakened after the Bank of England held rates at 3.75% and the U.S. Federal Reserve signalled a more hawkish policy path. The regulatory decision removes a significant development risk for GSK’s anti-infectives pipeline. Still, the market response was restrained. Investors now need evidence on pricing, hospital adoption and how quickly prescriptions can turn into material revenue.
June 18, 2026
St. James’s Place Stock Rebounds After 4% Slide — Why the SJP Share Price Story Is Still Uneasy
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St. James’s Place Stock Falls as Reporting Changes Leave Profit Outlook Intact

St. James’s Place shares fell on Thursday as the British wealth manager set out a simpler framework for reporting earnings. The stock was down about 2% at 1,144p shortly before 1500 BST. The decline was somewhat steeper than the wider London market, although it did not come in isolation. The FTSE 100 was down 0.87% at 1345 GMT as miners and financial stocks weakened after the Bank of England kept rates at 3.75% and the U.S. Federal Reserve struck a more hawkish tone.
June 18, 2026
DCC share price slips today as UK inflation looms and investors wait for the next update
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DCC shares end near £61.50 following KKR takeover proposal

DCC Plc slipped 20p to 6,150p on the London market Thursday afternoon, holding in a range of 6,145p to 6,180p. The move is modest against a near 1% decline in the FTSE 100, where the energy distributor from Dublin trades. DCC is now trading like a merger-arb situation. Shares are at 6,150p, which is 375p, or about 6.1%, below the 6,525p cash offer that's been made. The spread points to deal risk—a sign that the market isn't sure the transaction will go through.
June 18, 2026
Beazley Shares Stay Under Zurich Offer With Investors Eyeing Court Ruling
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Beazley steady at 1,284p after Zurich lifts stake to 5.35%

Beazley shares didn’t move much in London trade Thursday. Zurich Insurance Group picked up more stock, lifting its stake in the insurer to 5.35%. The stock last traded up 0.04% at 1,284p after opening at 1,283.5p. Zurich reported in a new filing that it bought 440,459 shares on June 17, paying between 1,283.5p and 1,284.5p.
June 18, 2026
Persimmon share price falls 6% after ex-dividend as UK rate worries return
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Persimmon share price falls 6% after ex-dividend as UK rate worries return

Persimmon Plc shares fell about 6.2% on Thursday and ranked among the FTSE 100’s weakest performers as UK housebuilders gave back part of the previous session’s rally. The rate-sensitive homebuilding index dropped 2.4%, against a 0.87% decline in the blue-chip benchmark. The screen move looks worse than the fresh selling. Persimmon began trading without entitlement to its 40-pence final dividend — “ex-dividend” means a new buyer will not receive that payment. Adjusting Wednesday’s 1,119-pence close for the distribution gives a comparable starting point of 1,079 pence, making the underlying fall about 2.6%.
June 18, 2026
L&G steady as BOE keeps rates unchanged at 3.75%
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L&G steady as BOE keeps rates unchanged at 3.75%

Legal & General Group Plc traded steady Thursday afternoon, holding near Wednesday’s close and outperforming as the wider London market lost ground after the Bank of England kept rates steady. Shares traded at 284.8 pence, not far off the previous 285 pence finish. Aviva was down 0.3%. M&G, another insurer and asset manager, rose about 1%. L&G’s relative strength is in focus. The group sells annuities and manages pensions and other assets, so its earnings and share price are tied to interest rates, bond markets and appetite for long-term savings. Shares barely moved on Thursday. Traders didn’t see a reason to change their view on L&G’s income-focused story.
June 18, 2026
British American Tobacco shares drop in London as U.S. vape review adds pressure
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British American Tobacco shares drop in London as U.S. vape review adds pressure

British American Tobacco lost about 1% in London trading Thursday afternoon. The stock fell for a second straight session as the FTSE 100 also slipped 1%. The Bank of England kept rates steady at 3.75%. BAT shares dropped 2.55% to 4,471 pence on Wednesday, while the FTSE 100 finished up 0.14%. The stock didn’t track the wider market. Investors appeared to take a chunk out of its U.S. growth premium.
June 18, 2026
BAE Systems shares slip as defence contract and tech news can’t lift FTSE drag
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BAE Systems shares slip as defence contract and tech news can’t lift FTSE drag

BAE Systems slipped Thursday, with shares last seen at 1,860 pence in a delayed quote, off from the prior close near 1,865 pence. Broader losses across London’s market pushed the stock down, despite fresh contract and tech updates from the UK defense group. Investors seem to have taken the updates as mildly supportive moves, not enough to change short-term earnings outlooks. The most notable update, a $535.6 million U.S. Army artillery deal, was already public in a May 14 government award notice. That undercut its punch as a new driver for the stock.
June 18, 2026
Rentokil Initial falls 3.7% as investors look for progress in North America
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Rentokil Initial falls 3.7% as investors look for progress in North America

Rentokil Initial shares dropped again Thursday, underperforming the FTSE 100. Investors are still looking for clearer signs that the pest-control company’s North American rebound will last into the busy summer months. London stocks slid. The FTSE 100 dropped 0.87% after the Bank of England left interest rates at 3.75%. Investors also reacted to a more hawkish Fed and its signals on future hikes. Rentokil lagged the broader move by almost three percentage points. “The conditions don’t seem in place for sustained inflationary pressure,” said Luke Bartholomew, deputy chief economist at Aberdeen.
June 18, 2026
Anglo American Stock Falls 3% After Berenberg Downgrade Flags H1 Risk
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Anglo American Stock Falls 3% After Berenberg Downgrade Flags H1 Risk

Anglo American shares fell more than 3% in afternoon trading on Thursday after Berenberg downgraded the stock, adding a company-specific concern to a broad retreat in mining shares. Rio Tinto and Glencore were each down more than 2%, while the FTSE 100 lost over 1%. The downgrade matters because Anglo’s recent re-rating has leaned heavily on future gains from its Teck Resources merger and the disposal of non-core assets. Berenberg said it was taking a breather after the share-price run, warning that first-half figures could fall short of market expectations. Its target now offers only about 5% upside from Thursday’s quoted price; a price target is an analyst estimate, not an assured return.
June 18, 2026
NatWest shares drop as Bank of England keeps rates at 3.75%
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NatWest shares drop as Bank of England keeps rates at 3.75%

NatWest Group shares slipped in midday London trade on Thursday. The Bank of England held rates steady, leaving the bank's earnings assumptions where they were, but there was no new driver for the shares. The FTSE 100 also lost ground as investors looked at the rate path and global market strain. Why it matters: NatWest has stronger links to the British economy than most international banks. Higher rates have been helping lending margins for a while, but the bank’s managers were ready for this. They had already used a 3.75% rate for their forecasts for the year.
June 18, 2026
National Grid Down 1.6% as FTSE 100 Falls After Bank of England Holds Rates
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National Grid Down 1.6% as FTSE 100 Falls After Bank of England Holds Rates

National Grid shares dropped 1.6% to 1,197 pence at 12:54 BST Thursday. The stock opened at 1,210 and slipped to a low of 1,192.5. National Grid lagged the FTSE 100, which was off around 1%. National Grid’s latest regulatory filing was about annual performance-plan awards, not business activity. CEO Zoë Yujnovich got 24,797 shares, while CFO Andy Agg got 16,602 shares, both with retention and clawback clauses. Shares in SSE, another UK utility with a lot of networks, dropped 1.2%, which suggested the move was part of a larger sector reaction to rates, not a rethink of National Grid’s guidance.
June 18, 2026
IAG Gains as Oil Drops and Cash Returns Ease Fuel Concerns
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IAG Gains as Oil Drops and Cash Returns Ease Fuel Concerns

International Consolidated Airlines Group gained Thursday while London stocks broadly slipped, as oil prices moved lower and the company’s push to reassure investors on returns took some pressure off the fuel issue this year. A lag in the market feed showed the British Airways and Iberia parent up 0.9% to 456.6 pence. The UK benchmark was down about 1%. Energy was the main support early on. Oil slid 2.8% to near $77 a barrel after the US and Iran extended their ceasefire by 60 days and set plans to restart toll-free shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. That helps ease the chance of a spike in airline fuel costs, but doesn’t take the risk away.
June 18, 2026
Imperial Brands Shares Gain 2.5% as Buyback Bets Offset Tobacco Slowdown
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Imperial Brands stock slips 0.9% with £1.45bn buyback underway

Imperial Brands was down around 0.9% at 2,754 pence by midday Thursday, after the stock fell on Wednesday as well. Shares have dropped about 2% since closing at 2,809 pence on Tuesday, with trading on Thursday in a range between 2,748 pence and 2,788 pence. The drop tracked the wider London market and didn’t look like a new company-specific slide. The FTSE 100 traded down 0.94% at 10,410.01 at 10:16 GMT, with financials and materials among the weakest ahead of the Bank of England decision.
June 18, 2026
Compass Group Drops 1.7% as Stock Goes Ex-Dividend; FTSE 100 Down
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Compass Group Drops 1.7% as Stock Goes Ex-Dividend; FTSE 100 Down

Compass Group shares slipped in London trade Thursday as the stock went ex-dividend. Shares opened at $32.67 before falling, with bids at $32.17 and offers at $32.20, down 1.74%. On Thursday Compass trades ex-dividend, so anyone buying after Wednesday’s close at $32.76 won’t get the next 25.5-cent payout. That dividend is about 0.78% of the share price. If you put the dividend back, Compass shares are off around 0.96% on a total-return basis, based on the price movement adjusted for the payout.
June 18, 2026
Lloyds drops after Bank of England holds rates at 3.75%
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Lloyds drops after Bank of England holds rates at 3.75%

Lloyds Banking Group was down 0.7% at 105.08 pence as of 12:04 BST on Thursday. The stock opened at 105.85p. NatWest dropped 0.9% and Barclays dipped 0.4%. The moves suggest UK banks are under pressure rather than Lloyds standing out. Lloyds is especially sensitive to the rate call since most of its business is with UK retail and commercial customers. Bank Rate moves hit deposit rates, mortgage demand, and the net interest margin, which is what Lloyds makes on loans minus what it pays to fund them.
June 18, 2026
RELX shares drop 3% as market slips, AI questions remain
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RELX shares drop 3% as market slips, AI questions remain

RELX shares fell 3.1% Thursday, hovering around 2,369 pence by midday after starting at 2,401 pence. That drop wiped out the 1% gain from Wednesday and pushed the stock toward the low end of its session range of 2,366.58 to 2,417 pence. RELX’s latest move put the AI debate back in focus for the information and analytics group. Some ask if artificial intelligence will push up demand for its specialist data or if cheaper products could put pressure on prices. Back in February, Reuters said RELX shares sank as AI worries hit information-service stocks.
June 18, 2026
Diageo Trails FTSE 100 as India Dispute Weighs on Stock
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Diageo holds steady after Dave Lewis launches job, cost cuts

Diageo shares were flat on Thursday after a report said CEO Lewis gave his executive committee cost-cutting targets instead of a single company-wide jobs number. Diageo told Reuters the effort is tied to its operating model redesign unveiled in February, aimed at boosting competitiveness and returns. Diageo held up while the rest of London’s blue-chip stocks slipped ahead of the Bank of England’s rate call, a muted reaction that points to investors having already priced in an efficiency push. The market doesn’t see this as a sign the weak sales trend is over.
June 18, 2026
Standard Chartered Stock Stays Close to Year High; China Payments Effort Faces Wealth Headwinds
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Standard Chartered Stock Stays Close to Year High; China Payments Effort Faces Wealth Headwinds

Standard Chartered PLC slipped on Thursday, though the shares stayed near their 52-week high and outperformed the broader FTSE 100. The Asia-focused bank’s stock last traded around 2,030 pence, according to delayed market data, down from Wednesday’s close of 2,037 pence. Shares closed up 2% Wednesday and are now only 1.7% off the 2,073-pence high from June 3, putting more heat on management to deliver more earnings growth instead of counting on investors to pay up for a higher multiple.
June 18, 2026
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