London, Feb 16, 2026, 09:46 GMT — Trading in the regular session.
- The FTSE 100 added roughly 0.4% in early action. NatWest jumped to the top of the leaderboard after announcing a fresh buyback.
- Beazley has pushed back Zurich’s takeover deadline to March 4, sticking with the UK’s “put up or shut up” mandate.
- This week’s UK jobs and inflation numbers are shaping up as the next hurdle for those betting on Bank of England rate cuts.
FTSE 100 opened up 0.4% Monday, with NatWest out in front as it launched a £750 million share buyback. Rio Tinto, on the other hand, dropped after halting work at its Simandou iron ore site in Guinea due to a deadly accident. By 09:22 GMT, the index was ahead by 40.2 points at 10,486.55.
London heads into a packed week: UK jobs and wage numbers drop Tuesday, then inflation lands Wednesday. Both could swing rate bets before the Bank of England’s March meeting.
Mid-caps pushed higher as well, with the FTSE 250 gaining 0.36% to reach 23,510.99 at 09:31 GMT.
NatWest kicked off its previously announced share buyback, tapping UBS’ London branch to handle the trades. The program is set to run through Jan. 15 next year, the bank confirmed. Over at Plus500, a fresh buyback plan is underway too, with the company targeting up to $100 million.
Beazley has pushed back Zurich Insurance’s “put up or shut up” deadline, citing that due diligence is “progressing as planned”. Zurich now faces a 5 p.m. GMT cutoff on March 4 to either make a formal offer or walk away, in line with UK takeover code rules. London South East
Rio Tinto has halted operations at the SimFer mine site following the death of a contractor’s employee on Saturday. Chief executive Simon Trott, emphasizing safety as the company’s top priority, said he’s heading to Guinea this week.
Helium One, listed on AIM, flagged “enhanced flow rates” during tests with an electric submersible pump at its Rukwa helium project in Tanzania. The company is still digging into the numbers and plans to share more details with the market once the test programme wraps up. Investing.com UK
Financials did the heavy lifting for European shares, banks and insurers chalking up the biggest moves on the upside. Basic resources underperformed. It’s a pattern London traders know well—lenders drive the index higher, while miners keep a lid on things.
The rally isn’t out of the woods yet. Two upcoming data releases could easily knock it off course. If wages come in hot, or if services inflation stays stubborn, making the case for quicker rate cuts gets tougher — and rate-sensitive stocks usually take the first hit. Analyst-tracked forecasts still show unemployment near 5.1%, with headline inflation drifting lower, but the “services” line item gets extra scrutiny in these numbers since it’s slow to budge. Investing.com
This week’s earnings line-up could move the needle. On Tuesday, Antofagasta, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, and InterContinental Hotels are slated to post results. Wednesday brings BAE Systems and Glencore, then Centrica and Rio Tinto drop their numbers on Thursday. Wrapping up the week, Anglo American and Segro are scheduled for Friday, per the LSE earnings calendar.
Next, it’s the hunt for a solid catalyst. Traders have their eyes on Tuesday’s labour market numbers, then Wednesday’s CPI, and a packed slate of earnings from miners and defence-sector names kicks off.
