LONDON, March 24, 2026, 15:15 GMT
London Stock Exchange Group plc shares rose about 0.6% to 8,484 pence on Tuesday, edging ahead of a barely positive FTSE 100, as investors weighed a fresh 10-year Canadian data and index deal from its FTSE Russell unit. 1
The move matters because LSEG is still trying to rebuild confidence after a year in which the stock lost about 30%, AI fears bruised sentiment and activist Elliott Management pressed management for change. In February, the group responded with a record buyback and new performance targets, but the market is still waiting for cleaner evidence that growth and margins are turning. 2
FTSE Russell said the new arrangement takes effect immediately, keeps CanDeal DNA pricing in FTSE Canada fixed-income indexes for another decade and expands the partnership into additional data, index and portfolio analytics. Fixed income means bonds; over-the-counter data refers to prices from trades negotiated directly rather than on an exchange. Marina Mets, FTSE Russell’s head of Americas fixed income, said the tie-up would keep the index ecosystem “underpinned by best-in-class pricing,” while CanDeal DNA president Andre Craig called a modernised analytics platform a “natural next step.” 3
The backdrop was jumpy. Reuters reported earlier that the FTSE 100 had slipped to a three-month low as oil climbed back above $100 a barrel and traders priced in further Bank of England tightening. Bob Savage, head of markets macro strategy at BNY, said investors were balancing “fragile optimism” with tighter financial conditions. 4
The Canada contract also lands as LSEG pushes on another front. Last week the group announced senior appointments across the London Stock Exchange and Turquoise, its pan-European trading venue, and deputy CEO Charlie Walker said it remained committed to running “competitive equities trading venues in Europe.” 5
That leaves LSEG in an awkward middle ground. Investors like sticky contracts, but they are still measuring the group against peers such as MSCI, S&P Global and Deutsche Boerse while asking chief executive David Schwimmer to show that AI worries are overdone. Stephen Yiu of Blue Whale said management still needed the credibility to take LSEG “to the next stage.” 6
But Tuesday’s pact is incremental, not decisive. A long bond-data contract adds visibility, yet it does not answer the bigger questions around pricing power, AI and whether higher energy costs and rates will keep weighing on equity valuations. Thomas Mathews of Capital Economics said the war’s damage could leave “bond and equity prices lower” for longer. 2
On Feb. 26, LSEG said 2025 organic income grew 7.1% and ASV, or annual subscription value, rose 5.9%, slightly ahead of expectations but down from 6.3% a year earlier. That is the yardstick now. Tuesday’s Canada deal helps the recurring-revenue story, but investors still look set to judge Schwimmer on whether growth and margins turn higher from here. 7
