London, February 8, 2026, 08:19 GMT — The market is closed.
- London Stock Exchange Group finished Friday at 7,502p, slipping 1.1%.
- Fresh concerns over AI disruption have sent data and analytics stocks on a wild ride.
- Next up: traders are watching Monday’s open, with LSEG’s FY25 preliminary results webcast set for Feb. 26.
London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG.L) wrapped up Friday at 7,502 pence, slipping 1.1%. Shares moved between 7,184 and 7,716 pence throughout the session. Trading volume was roughly 2.2 million. Over the week, the stock shed about 8%. 1
LSEG found itself at the center of a heated market argument this week after shares slumped — traders are asking just how much power new “AI agents” might have to erode the pricing clout of data and workflow companies. Reuters flagged more selling in the wake of Anthropic’s Claude releasing a new plug-in, while investors also grew uneasy about the scale of Big Tech’s latest AI spending spree. “Headlines that would have pushed shares to fresh highs… are now being interpreted far more cautiously,” said Carlota Estragues Lopez, equity strategist at St. James’s Place. 2
The AI trade’s split is getting more pronounced. On one side: chipmakers and hardware suppliers riding the infrastructure wave. On the other: companies investors now see as vulnerable to AI’s rise. “This divergence is not a vote against AI,” Saxo’s chief investment strategist Charu Chanana wrote, framing the shift as investors distinguishing “who enables AI and who may be disrupted.” Liontrust’s Mark Hawtin didn’t mince words: “The market is no longer tolerating spending for spending’s sake.” 3
London’s FTSE 100 edged 0.6% higher Friday, with banking stocks propping up the index despite drag from data and analytics shares, Reuters reported. LSEG lagged again, notching a third consecutive weekly drop. 4
LSEG kept its buyback pace, snapping up 256,419 shares on Feb. 5 at an average 7,533.05 pence, part of the repurchase plan rolled out Nov. 4, 2025. The group plans to cancel the acquired stock. Cutting shares out of circulation tends to boost earnings per share but leaves product demand untouched. 5
Traders are watching to see if the pressure on “AI-exposed” data stocks lets up or intensifies once London is back online Monday. U.S. megacaps have been moving the needle lately, with new signals on AI capital spending shaping risk sentiment.
The downside’s still on the table. Should customers pivot quickly to lower-cost AI options, and incumbents lag in protecting their margins, investors could keep slashing valuations. Buybacks don’t offer much cover in that scenario.
Mark Feb. 26: LSEG has its FY 2025 preliminary results webcast teed up, with CEO David Schwimmer and CFO Michel-Alain Proch set to lead the call. 6
