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
Unilever Stock Slips as AI Factory Rollout Meets Weak FTSE 100
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Unilever Stock Slips as AI Factory Rollout Meets Weak FTSE 100

Unilever shares edged lower on Thursday but held up better than the wider London market, as investors balanced a new factory-automation push against caution before the Bank of England’s interest-rate decision. The stock was quoted around 4,338-4,342 pence, roughly 0.5% lower, while the FTSE 100 fell about 0.9%. The relative resilience follows Unilever’s decision to expand AI-supported manufacturing across its global network. More than 40 new digital twins will be built over 18 months, creating a template that can be repeated at other factories.
June 18, 2026
Prudential dips under its latest buyback level after Hong Kong pressure
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Prudential dips under its latest buyback level after Hong Kong pressure

Prudential plc dropped 1.7% to 994.8p on Thursday, slipping under £10 again after climbing earlier this week. Shares finished Wednesday at 1,011.5p. The move pushed the market price under what Prudential paid in its latest buyback. In a Wednesday filing, the company said it bought 385,717 shares on June 16, paying £10.01 to £10.20 each for a total of £3.91 million. Prudential will cancel the shares. Buybacks lower the share count and can lift per-share numbers if earnings do not change.
June 18, 2026
LSEG drops 3.6% after Redburn warns on AI revenue
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LSEG drops 3.6% after Redburn warns on AI revenue

London Stock Exchange Group shares slid 3.6% Thursday after Rothschild & Co Redburn cautioned that AI could pressure the company’s workflow and aggregation operations. The stock was last seen near 8,646 pence, after hitting a low of 8,584 pence earlier in the session. Redburn cut LSEG to “neutral” from “buy” and cut its target to £104 from £120, reigniting questions about whether AI is going to drive more demand for the group’s proprietary data or let clients skip its platforms and software. Debate on that had cooled before the downgrade.
June 18, 2026
South32 stock gets Citi’s copper boost — Tuesday’s open could decide the trade
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South32 gains alongside miners with ASX materials up before quarterly update

South32 Ltd. shares will start trading again Thursday as investors look at a stronger materials sector but balance that with moves in the miner’s own stock and ongoing cost questions across aluminium and manganese. Normal trading hadn’t started on the ASX. The main cash-market session is from around 9:59:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sydney time, with continuous order matching.
June 18, 2026
Shell slips under £30 after Iran deal drives Brent crude below $78
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Shell slips under £30 after Iran deal drives Brent crude below $78

Shell shares slipped under £30 in early trading in London on Thursday. Oil prices slid again, taking the shine off hopes for a lift in global growth after the U.S.-Iran deal. The stock traded near 2,993 pence in delayed quotes, down roughly 1.4%. It settled at 3,035 pence the previous session. Crude’s geopolitical premium is fading fast. Brent slipped 2% to $77.96 a barrel after the deal, which aims to restore all shipping through the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days. IG’s Tony Sycamore said the market is factoring in a “faster-than-expected return of Iranian barrels.” Matt Stanley at Kpler said the situation still isn’t “quite a long way off from being normal.”
June 18, 2026
Tesco drops after UK sales come up short, profit guide steady
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Tesco drops after UK sales come up short, profit guide steady

Tesco shares sat around 445 pence, falling roughly 2.6% on Thursday. First-quarter UK sales growth missed market estimates. The supermarket held its full-year profit guidance steady. Tesco’s miss is in focus after a year of market share gains put pressure on every trading update. Analysts were looking for UK like-for-like sales growth of roughly 2.3%. A year earlier, same-quarter growth came in at 5.1%—that was boosted by good weather and problems at Marks & Spencer and the Co-op.
June 18, 2026
Barclays dips after BofA lifts target ahead of Bank of England call
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Barclays dips after BofA lifts target ahead of Bank of England call

Barclays PLC shares slipped on Thursday. The stock pared some of the last session’s broker-fueled rise as traders waited for the Bank of England’s rate move. Delayed prints showed Barclays off 0.7% at 499.75 pence at 09:54 BST. The FTSE 100 was down 0.9% to 10,416.62, according to data as of 09:32 BST. Barclays shares pulled back after a 3.4% surge on Wednesday that saw the stock finish at 503.50 pence, among the FTSE 100's top moves. BofA Global Research lifted its price target, giving banks a boost. That helped the index eke out a 0.14% gain. “For the investor it is a dilemma; good news for the economy’s resilience is bad news as it justifies a rate hike,” said
June 18, 2026
Experian shares edge lower following $1 billion bond sale with growth doubts persisting
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Experian shares edge lower following $1 billion bond sale with growth doubts persisting

Experian shares dropped 1.1% to 2,530 pence on Thursday after the company set the price on a new bond. The stock move was similar to the near 1% fall in the FTSE 100. Experian’s U.S. finance unit priced $1 billion in 5.35% notes set to mature August 24, 2036, the Dublin-based company said. The bonds, which are guaranteed by Experian, are scheduled to close June 24. Proceeds will go to general corporate uses and to pay down existing debt.
June 18, 2026
BP drops on oil weakness as O’Neill reset faces pressure, Shell down too
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BP shares slip as Brent drops to 3½-month low on U.S.-Iran deal

BP shares dropped in early London action Thursday, trading near 499 pence, down about 1.2%. Crude slipped to a 3½-month low after an interim deal between Washington and Tehran that might reopen the Strait of Hormuz and bring Iranian oil back. BP shares fell again after dropping 1.68% on Wednesday. The stock was trading about 6.8% lower than Friday’s close of 534.5 pence in early action, giving up some of the gains made earlier when Middle East supplies were hit.
June 18, 2026
Rolls-Royce Share Price Jumps as Japan Nuclear Pact and Defence Momentum Lift FTSE 100 Star
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Rolls-Royce stock hovers near yearly high after Sweden SMR story

Rolls-Royce Holdings shares traded up early Thursday in London, moving close to their 52-week high and outpacing the FTSE 100. The stock approached 1,409 pence, just under its session high at 1,413.5 pence. Rolls-Royce Holdings rose 3.9% Monday and gained another 2.6% Tuesday, driving most of its gains for the week. Investors are watching to see if nuclear projects can emerge as a second long-term growth line for the group. Civil aerospace servicing is still the main contributor.
June 18, 2026
HSBC slips after Australia fine, AI update
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HSBC slips after Australia fine, AI update

HSBC Holdings Plc slipped early Thursday in London, pulling back from a one-year high with the stock off about 0.3% at 1,432 pence. Investors weighed fresh AI moves at the bank against news of an Australian regulatory knock. The FTSE 100 was down roughly 0.6%. Timing is key here as the events push both ways. The Australian case brings more conduct risk. The Google programme is supposed to help drive revenue and cut costs while Chief Executive Georges Elhedery pushes for a leaner bank.
June 18, 2026
Rio Tinto shares slide, traders eye next moves
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Rio Tinto falls in London as Oyu Tolgoi copper exports restart post-protest

Rio Tinto shares slipped Thursday morning in London, with the stock down 1.7% at about 7,694 pence just after 09:10 BST. It opened at 7,750 pence. This came even after the company’s Oyu Tolgoi division restarted copper-concentrate shipments from Mongolia, which had paused due to a short protest. The restart eased the short-term risk for deliveries but did little to resolve the bigger issue at one of Rio’s key growth sites. Copper concentrate is ore that's been processed and shipped to smelters. Oyu Tolgoi sits at the heart of Rio’s strategy to boost copper production with expectations for rising demand from EVs, power grids and data centres.
June 18, 2026
Intertek Group share price rises on reported £10.6bn EQT takeover agreement
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Intertek Group share price rises on reported £10.6bn EQT takeover agreement

Intertek Group shares rose in early London trading after Swedish private-equity firm EQT reached an agreement to acquire the testing and inspection company for £60 a share, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Intertek and EQT had not announced the firm offer when the market opened. The stock’s bid price stood at 5,770 pence at 09:12 BST, up 1.05%. That left it almost 4% below the proposed cash price. The gap, known as the deal spread, reflects the remaining risk that the transaction is delayed, changed or does not close.
June 18, 2026
UK & AU Stock Market Today: Live Updates 18.06.2026

UK & AU Stock Market Today: Live Updates 18.06.2026

LIVEMarkets rolling coverageStarted: June 18, 2026, 4:00 AM EDTUpdated: June 19, 2026, 3:59 AM EDT How Much Second Income Can You Make from £10,000 in the Stock Market? June 19, 2026, 3:59 AM EDT. Investing £10,000 in dividend stocks can generate a second income between £500 and £700 annually, according to market analysis. High-yield options like Renewables Infrastructure Group offer around 10% dividends, but carry risks if dividends are cut. A balanced portfolio targeting a 5%-7% yield across 10 stocks reduces risk while still outperforming average market returns. Reinvesting dividends can further compound income growth. Aberdeen Group, an asset management
June 18, 2026
Flight Centre up 5.3% after buyback, FY26 earnings outlook lower
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Flight Centre up 5.3% after buyback, FY26 earnings outlook lower

Flight Centre Travel Group Limited was due to start trading again Thursday after a 5.3% jump last session. Investors shrugged off a profit warning and focused on the new capital-return plan. Shares hit their highest level in three months and finished at A$12.44. Big cut to earnings guidance, but shares shook it off. Flight Centre warned Middle East troubles could hit leisure earnings by around A$50 million in Q4, but the market saw that as old news and paid more attention to the share buyback and signs that travel demand is picking up.
June 18, 2026
Suncorp Group shares rise 1.5% as insurance cost pressures stay in focus
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Suncorp Group shares rise 1.5% as insurance cost pressures stay in focus

Suncorp Group shares will enter Thursday’s Australian session at A$18.63 after gaining 1.53% on Wednesday, outpacing the S&P/ASX 200’s 0.54% rise. The stock has climbed 4.6% over the past seven trading days. The immediate issue for investors is whether higher premiums can keep pace with repair, labour and catastrophe costs. Rate increases can protect insurance margins, but steeper bills also raise the risk that customers shop around or reduce cover.
June 18, 2026
Zip Co shares keep rising for fifth day after Stripe AI payments deal
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Zip Co shares keep rising for fifth day after Stripe AI payments deal

Zip Co Ltd heads into Thursday’s ASX open with five sessions of gains after its US business expanded a Stripe deal to feature AI-powered shopping. Zip’s shares finished Wednesday at A$2.90, having reached A$2.94 earlier. The cash market was still in pre-open at the dateline. Zip has climbed 20.8% since closing at A$2.40 on June 10, but the stock is still down 11.3% this year. Zip beat the S&P/ASX 200 on Wednesday, with the benchmark up 0.54% to 8,966.30.
June 18, 2026
Mineral Resources trades near 52-week high as lithium sentiment picks up
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Mineral Resources trades near 52-week high as lithium sentiment picks up

Mineral Resources ended up 1.7% at A$71.97 on Wednesday, closing near a 12-month high as traders picked up lithium stocks again. Shares touched A$73.00 intraday, just shy of their 52-week high of A$74.94. The stock outpaced the wider Australian market. Mineral Resources is up 9.3% this week and nearly 30% since early 2026. With shares now higher, investors have fewer reasons to ignore possible delays or extra costs as the miner works to restart Bald Hill, grow Mt Marion, and boost output at Onslow iron ore.
June 18, 2026
Xero in focus before open as ASX tech stocks rally, Elston adds shares
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Xero in focus before open as ASX tech stocks rally, Elston adds shares

Xero shares are set for Thursday’s Australian trade following a 3.5% gain at the last close. Investors rotated back into beaten-down ASX software stocks. One local fund manager called the cloud-accounting player attractive after a stretch of selling. The stock closed Wednesday at A$74.58, up A$2.49 on the day. Shares moved between A$70.18 and A$74.70. The S&P/ASX 200 gained 48.60 points to 8,966.30, its winning streak now at four days.
June 18, 2026
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