Today: 8 February 2026
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ASML stock price jumps as AI spending race returns; jobs data and dividend dates ahead
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8 February 2026
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ASML stock price jumps as AI spending race returns; jobs data and dividend dates ahead

ASML’s U.S.-listed shares jumped 4.6% to $1,413 on Friday, tracking a 5.7% rally in chip stocks after Amazon and Alphabet signaled higher AI infrastructure spending. Peers Applied Materials, Lam Research, and KLA each gained over 6%. ASML’s interim dividend goes ex-dividend Feb. 9 in Amsterdam and Feb. 10 in New York, with payment set for Feb. 18. U.S. jobs and inflation data are due next week.
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Ashtead Group share price ends week higher as U.S. listing clock ticks — what to watch next
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Ashtead Group share price ends week higher as U.S. listing clock ticks — what to watch next

Ashtead Group shares closed up 1.1% at 4,936 pence Friday after the company confirmed a new round of share buybacks. The firm expects its U.S. listing to become effective Feb. 26, with a UK share swap on Feb. 27 and new shares trading March 2. FTSE Russell plans to remove Ashtead from its UK indexes from March 2. Index funds are preparing for the change as the company shifts its primary listing to New York.
8 February 2026
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Beazley share price sits below Zurich’s £8bn offer — what to watch before London reopens

Beazley share price sits below Zurich’s £8bn offer — what to watch before London reopens

Beazley shares closed flat at 1,236 pence Friday as Zurich faces a Feb. 16 deadline to make a firm takeover offer or withdraw. Zurich and Beazley have agreed in principle on key terms valuing Beazley at up to 1,335 pence per share. Recent filings show Vanguard and FMR LLC among top shareholders. The shares remain below the possible offer price as due diligence continues.
8 February 2026
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Tesco share price: what to watch after Friday’s close as rate and wage bets shift

Tesco share price: what to watch after Friday’s close as rate and wage bets shift

Tesco shares closed at 452.10 pence on Friday, up 0.62%, as UK markets ended the week higher. Investors weighed Bank of England signals on interest rates and rising supermarket wage costs, with Lidl and rivals announcing pay increases ahead of April’s minimum wage hike. Morrisons is considering raising up to £1 billion against its store portfolio, according to Sky News. Tesco continues its share buyback program after a January profit forecast upgrade.
8 February 2026
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Prudential share price ends the week higher — buyback activity and rate outlook back in focus

Prudential share price ends the week higher — buyback activity and rate outlook back in focus

Prudential plc shares closed up 0.5% at 1,181.5 pence Friday, with 5.1 million shares traded before the London market shut for the weekend. The company bought back 494,445 shares on Feb. 5 as part of a $1.2 billion repurchase program running through 2026. The FTSE 100 rose 0.6% on the day. Prudential’s next full-year results are due March 18, 2026.
8 February 2026
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Nvidia stock ‘cheap’ again? AI spending surge puts NVDA back in the spotlight

Nvidia stock ‘cheap’ again? AI spending surge puts NVDA back in the spotlight

Nvidia shares jumped 7.8% Friday, leading a rally in chip stocks after signs of continued AI hardware spending by major tech firms. The PHLX semiconductor index rose 5.7%, with AMD and Broadcom also gaining. The Dow closed above 50,000 for the first time. Investors remain split over whether soaring AI outlays will deliver sufficient returns.
8 February 2026
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National Grid share price on a six-session run: what could move NG.L when London reopens

National Grid share price on a six-session run: what could move NG.L when London reopens

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8 February 2026
National Grid closed Friday at 1,285 pence, up 0.23%, marking its sixth straight gain and trading near a 52-week high. Investors focused on Bank of England survey results showing expectations for Bank Rate to fall to 3.0% by March 2027. UK GDP, trade, and industrial output data are due Feb. 12. 6.51 million National Grid shares changed hands in the session.
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Barclays share price jumps into earnings week: what to watch before Tuesday’s results

Barclays share price jumps into earnings week: what to watch before Tuesday’s results

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8 February 2026
Barclays shares closed up 2.71% at 479.1 pence on Friday, ahead of full-year results and a targets update due Tuesday. Barclays and NatWest have both submitted offers for Evelyn Partners, with a deal announcement possible this week, according to Reuters. Mary Francis will retire from the Barclays board in May. Investors are watching for signals on costs, credit quality, and capital returns.
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Rolls-Royce share price ends week higher on buyback update as RR.L eyes turn to results

Rolls-Royce share price ends week higher on buyback update as RR.L eyes turn to results

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8 February 2026
Rolls-Royce Holdings shares closed at 1,229p on Friday, up 1.78%, as the FTSE 100 gained 0.59%. The company reported buying 742,570 shares on Feb. 5 as part of its £200 million buyback, bringing total repurchases to 12.66 million shares. Rolls-Royce will attend the World Defense Show in Riyadh, noting over 80% of its Saudi workforce are nationals.
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Vodafone share price: Buyback kicks off, but Germany recovery is the next test for VOD.L

Vodafone share price: Buyback kicks off, but Germany recovery is the next test for VOD.L

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8 February 2026
Vodafone (VOD.L) bought 27.1 million shares this week as its new buyback began, with the stock closing Friday up 1.47% at 110.6p after a sharp drop the day before. Investors remain focused on Germany’s service-revenue growth and the pace of buybacks ahead of Monday’s open. The company maintained full-year guidance after reporting 5.4% group service revenue growth in Q3, with Germany up 0.7%.
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Lloyds share price in focus: Buyback filing and Halifax house-price jump set up the week ahead

Lloyds share price in focus: Buyback filing and Halifax house-price jump set up the week ahead

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8 February 2026
Lloyds Banking Group shares closed at 106.75 pence on Friday, up 0.9%, after disclosing a 10 million share buyback for cancellation. Halifax, owned by Lloyds, reported UK house prices rose 0.7% in January to £300,077. Investors are watching for UK banking news next week and monitoring mortgage pricing trends. The London market reopens Monday.
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Unilever share price flat at Friday close — what could move ULVR ahead of Feb 12 results

Unilever share price flat at Friday close — what could move ULVR ahead of Feb 12 results

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8 February 2026
Unilever shares closed flat at 5,250 pence Friday, with about 3.2 million shares traded. The company will report full-year results on Feb. 12, its first major update since spinning off its ice cream unit. Investors expect guidance on 2026 sales, margins, and cost savings. Unilever has forecast 2025 underlying sales growth of 3% to 5% and second-half margins of at least 19.5%.
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Windows 11 printer alert: Microsoft tightens the screws on legacy V3/V4 drivers in 2026

Windows 11 printer alert: Microsoft tightens the screws on legacy V3/V4 drivers in 2026

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8 February 2026
Microsoft has blocked most new legacy Windows printer driver submissions, requiring manual review and justification from print partners as it phases out the V3 and V4 driver pipeline. No new third-party printer drivers will be published to Windows Update for Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025 or later after January 15, 2026. Existing drivers remain installable, with security fixes continuing for supported OS versions.
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LSEG share price heads into Monday after AI jitters hit London Stock Exchange Group stock

LSEG share price heads into Monday after AI jitters hit London Stock Exchange Group stock

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8 February 2026
London Stock Exchange Group shares fell 1.1% to 7,502p Friday, closing out a third straight weekly decline and an 8% drop for the week. The selloff followed renewed concerns over AI disruption after a new Claude plug-in from Anthropic and caution over Big Tech’s AI spending. LSEG bought back 256,419 shares on Feb. 5. Investors await Monday’s open and LSEG’s FY25 results webcast on Feb. 26.
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Anglo American share price slips after BofA downgrade as De Beers review looms

Anglo American share price slips after BofA downgrade as De Beers review looms

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8 February 2026
Anglo American shares closed at 3,435 pence on Friday, down 0.75%, after BofA Global Research downgraded the miner to “neutral” over valuation and execution risks. The bank raised its price target to 3,600 pence but flagged a long wait for Teck synergies and uncertainty around De Beers. Investors await full-year results and updates on deals and disposals on Feb. 20.
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BAT stock ends week higher as buyback rolls on; investors eye Feb 12 results

BAT stock ends week higher as buyback rolls on; investors eye Feb 12 results

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8 February 2026
British American Tobacco shares closed up 1.2% at 4,609 pence on Friday, outpacing the FTSE 100 ahead of its preliminary results due Feb. 12. The company bought back 121,668 shares this week for cancellation. CEO Tadeu Marroco received 364 shares under a bonus scheme. Investors are watching for updates on BAT’s nicotine alternatives and sector competition after Philip Morris International’s latest results.
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Shell share price in focus after Kazakhstan investment pause and PwC audit switch

Shell share price in focus after Kazakhstan investment pause and PwC audit switch

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8 February 2026
Shell will pause new investments in Kazakhstan amid ongoing legal disputes over $16.5 billion in contested costs at major oilfields, CEO Wael Sawan said. Shell shares closed at 2,774.5 pence on Friday. The company repurchased 1.64 million shares on Feb. 6 as part of its ongoing buyback. Shell named PwC as auditor from 2027, replacing EY, which is under investigation by UK regulators.
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Glencore shares steady after Rio walks away — what to watch before Monday’s trade

Glencore shares steady after Rio walks away — what to watch before Monday’s trade

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8 February 2026
Glencore shares closed up 0.6% at 478.10 pence Friday after Rio Tinto ended merger talks, issuing a “no intention to bid” statement. Glencore’s board rejected the proposed deal terms, citing concerns over valuation and governance. Attention now turns to possible asset sales, including its $5 billion Kazzinc stake, ahead of Glencore’s annual results on Feb. 18.
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iFAST stock slides into a big week: earnings date, Singapore budget and what traders watch next

iFAST stock slides into a big week: earnings date, Singapore budget and what traders watch next

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8 February 2026
iFAST shares closed down 3.2% at S$9.64 Friday ahead of its full-year results due Feb. 12. About 2.6 million shares changed hands as the company heads into a week packed with earnings and Singapore’s Budget 2026 announcement. The Straits Times Index fell 0.8% to 4,934.41. DBS and other major financials report next week, heightening market volatility.
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