London, February 16, 2026, 10:22 GMT — Regular session
- M&S shares are little changed in Monday trading, stuck around the 400p level.
- With no fresh company update, attention turns to UK inflation and retail sales data this week.
- A new consumer sentiment reading shows households still worried about debt and big purchases.
Marks & Spencer Group plc shares (MKS.L) eased 0.1% to 398.6 pence on the London Stock Exchange by 10:22 GMT on Monday, a move of about half a penny on the day. Quotes were delayed by 15 minutes, and no new Regulatory News Service (RNS) statements were listed for the retailer. The stock was valued at about £8.0 billion. (London South East)
The muted move comes as the UK market heads into a data-heavy week that can shift interest-rate bets and, by extension, consumer stocks. The FTSE 100 was up 0.41% by 09:25 GMT, helped by a rebound in banks, and traders were pricing a 25-basis-point (quarter-point) Bank of England cut next month, Reuters reported. (Reuters)
For retailers, that rates story is not an abstract thing. It hits household budgets through mortgages and credit cards, and it changes how investors value future earnings.
A new snapshot of households on Monday showed confidence is still soft. The S&P Global UK consumer sentiment index rose to 44.8 in February, still below the neutral 50 mark. “Households are growing increasingly worried about debt,” said Maryam Baluch, an economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence. (MarketScreener)
Marks & Spencer closed Friday at 399.1 pence and has traded between 397.08 and 400.60 so far on Monday, Investing.com data showed. The shares have ranged from 315.5 to 417.5 pence over the past 52 weeks. (Investing)
Marks & Spencer, a bellwether name in UK food and clothing, has spent recent sessions orbiting 400p. With no company update early on, dealers watched the broader tape for direction.
The read-through runs across the UK retail pack. Grocers Tesco and J Sainsbury and fashion-led names such as Next tend to move on the same mix of wage, price and confidence signals, even when nothing company-specific is happening.
But the story can flip quickly. A hotter inflation print or signs that credit is tightening could keep policymakers cautious and force more discounting in apparel and homeware, squeezing margins.
In the near term, traders will watch whether the stock holds its early range as volumes build. Any surprise corporate item — a filing, a board change, a guidance comment — would cut through the noise.
Next up: UK labour market data is due on Feb. 17 at 07:00 GMT, followed by January consumer price inflation on Feb. 18 and retail sales on Feb. 20, both at 07:00 GMT, according to the Office for National Statistics release calendar. (Gov)
