London, Feb 8, 2026, 09:31 GMT — Market closed
Prudential plc (PRU.L) shares ended Friday up 0.5% at 1,181.5 pence, the last close before London trading paused for the weekend. The stock moved between 1,153.5 and 1,188.0 pence during the session, with about 5.1 million shares traded, according to Hargreaves Lansdown data. 1
That bounce came as London’s FTSE 100 finished Friday up 0.6%, helped by gains in heavyweight banks. The Bank of England signalled this week that rates could fall if the drop in inflation is sustained, a backdrop that can swing financial stocks by moving bond yields and discount rates. 2
Prudential’s steady bid for its own stock also stayed in the frame. A Feb. 6 regulatory statement showed it bought back 494,445 shares on Feb. 5 at an average price of £11.8709, and plans to cancel them, which reduces the number of shares in issue. A share buyback is when a company repurchases its own shares, often to shrink the share count and lift per-share metrics. 3
The purchases sit inside a broader 2026 programme that Prudential launched in early January, targeting up to $1.2 billion in buybacks, with completion no later than Dec. 18, 2026. Chief Executive Anil Wadhwani said the group “remain[s] firmly focused on creating long-term shareholder value” as it pushes on with its strategy and planned shareholder returns. 4
For traders, the near-term question is whether Friday’s firm close holds into Monday when liquidity returns, or whether the stock gives back ground if bond yields slide again.
Insurers can react differently from banks when rate expectations shift. Lower yields can raise the value of bond holdings, but they can also squeeze reinvestment returns over time, and they can change how investors value long-dated cash flows.
Prudential’s Asia-and-Africa mix adds another layer. Moves in regional equities, credit spreads and currencies can show up quickly in sentiment on the London line, even when the UK tape looks calm.
But the set-up cuts both ways. A sharp risk-off move in global markets or a faster drop in yields could pressure the sector, while any wobble in demand in key Asian markets would likely hit the tone around growth and cash generation.
When the company reports, investors tend to focus on new business profit, capital generation and solvency, plus what management says about the pace of buybacks and dividends for the next leg.
The next clear catalyst is Prudential’s 2025 full-year results on March 18, 2026, according to the company’s financial calendar (10:00 p.m. UK time on March 17). 5
