LONDON, January 11, 2026, 08:02 GMT — Market closed
Shell Plc shares (SHEL.L) closed Friday up 3.0%, finishing at 2,640 pence after moving between 2,589.5 and 2,659.0 pence during the session. Immediate support is near 2,554 pence, matching Thursday’s low. The stock’s 52-week range stretches from 2,269.9 to 2,937.5 pence. 1
As London remains closed for the weekend, any near-term movement in Shell shares will probably hinge on crude prices rather than corporate news. Energy stocks have been highly responsive to changes in supply risk, often overshadowing regular trading updates.
This is significant because Shell is heavily focused on capital returns. Investors watch share buyback volumes closely, seeing them as a signal of cash flow strength, particularly before quarterly earnings come out.
Shell revealed it bought back 2,089,933 shares on January 9, with 953,773 of those traded on the London Stock Exchange. The company is carrying out this buyback—where it repurchases its own stock, cutting the total shares outstanding—through Merrill Lynch International. The program is set to continue until January 30. 2
Oil drove the market into Friday’s close. Brent rose $1.35 to $63.34 a barrel, while U.S. crude finished at $59.12. Traders grappled with unrest in Iran and supply threats linked to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group, noted, “The uprising in Iran is keeping the market on edge.” At the same time, Ole Hansen, head of commodity analysis at Saxo Bank, flagged mounting protest momentum as fueling disruption concerns. 3
Venezuela remains a key wild card this week. According to Reuters, oil firms and trading houses are scrambling to secure ships and logistics for fresh Venezuelan crude exports to the U.S., partly using ship-to-ship transfers, where oil is shifted between tankers. Maersk said operations are ongoing with only minor delays. 4
Macro data hits quickly this week. The U.S. consumer price index drops Jan 13, with the Energy Information Administration’s weekly petroleum status report out Jan 14. Both reports have the potential to sharply move rate forecasts and crude prices. 5
Friday in London saw the FTSE 100 hit a new high, buoyed by a rally in oil and a strong showing from miners. The energy sector jumped 2.8%, pushing Shell and its rivals higher heading into the weekend. 6
The next hot topic for traders is straightforward: can crude sustain its bounce when futures come back online, and will any Venezuela-linked deals shift supply soon? On top of that, Shell’s daily buyback updates could stir the pot even more.
The downside is clear as well. If oil prices slide again or downstream demand weakens more than anticipated, the market will likely price in slower buybacks and a tighter cash flow outlook.
Shell is set to release its fourth-quarter results and announce its interim dividend for the same period on Feb 5 at 0700 GMT, the company said in an advance notice. 7
