London, Jan 21, 2026, 08:02 GMT — Regular session.
- Barclays shares slipped in early London trading Wednesday.
- The bank announced a fresh wave of buyback purchases, confirming the shares will be cancelled.
- Traders are focused on tariff news and policy cues ahead of bank earnings season.
Shares of Barclays PLC dipped in early London trading Wednesday following the announcement of a new round of share buybacks, as trade tensions kept investors on edge.
This update is significant because buybacks offer banks a direct, rapid method to return surplus capital. Investors frequently interpret them as a gauge of confidence and available balance-sheet capacity.
Barclays faces a turbulent backdrop. Bank shares have been volatile amid shifting rate forecasts and political uncertainty, and a quiet market can quickly sour as tariffs and geopolitical tensions drive investors to safer bets.
Barclays (BARC.L) slipped around 0.6% to 476.7 pence, following a close of 479.6 pence on Tuesday. So far on Wednesday, shares have fluctuated between about 476.4 and 479.2 pence, remaining under their 52-week peak close to 492.95 pence, according to Investing.com data.
The bank acquired 2,504,922 ordinary shares on Jan. 20 under a buyback scheme announced on Oct. 23, 2025, paying a volume-weighted average price of 478.7390 pence each. Barclays intends to cancel these shares, bringing total repurchases since the programme’s inception to 83,880,969 shares at an average price of 460.8814 pence. 1
JPMorgan boosted its price target on Barclays to 570 pence, maintaining the stock as its “highest conviction idea” ahead of the fourth-quarter results, according to an Investing.com report. The firm highlighted return on tangible equity—a key profitability metric—as a critical focus for the upcoming investor update. 2
London’s FTSE 100 dropped 0.72% on Tuesday, weighed down by geopolitical jitters. U.S. President Donald Trump warned of a 10% tariff hike on imports from eight European nations, including Britain, starting Feb. 1—unless the U.S. gets a chance to buy Greenland, Reuters reported. “Geopolitical tensions have dented sentiment,” Nuveen senior macro strategist Laura Cooper told Reuters. 3
Barclays’ investment bank has popped up in recent deal talks. On Monday, Zurich Insurance revealed a $10.3 billion bid for specialty insurer Beazley. Barclays is listed as one of Beazley’s advisers, according to a Reuters report. 4
Buybacks and bullish broker targets often get overshadowed when volatility jumps. A sudden risk-off wave can slam lenders with slower deal flow and weaker borrowing demand. At the same time, shifts in rate forecasts can alter net interest income — the difference between bank earnings on loans and their costs on deposits.
Politics are the next trigger. Reuters’ global markets wrap noted Wall Street’s steep drop overnight, fueling chatter about a “Sell America” move; Westpac senior economist Mantas Vanagas said investors are pulling back from U.S. assets. All eyes turn to Trump’s World Economic Forum speech in Davos on Wednesday (Jan. 21) and an EU emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday (Jan. 22) for hints on whether the tariff conflict will ease or intensify. 5
