Today: 5 July 2026

Mateusz Kaczmarek

Mateusz Kaczmarek is a financial and technology journalist at TS2.tech, covering stocks, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and global market developments. A graduate of the Poznań University of Economics and Business, he previously worked in financial analysis before moving into business journalism. His reporting focuses on technology companies, market trends and the forces shaping global investment markets.

Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) news today: FCA flags “agentic AI” risks as banks prepare customer trials; LLOY shares near yearly highs — 17 Dec 2025

Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) news today: FCA flags “agentic AI” risks as banks prepare customer trials; LLOY shares near yearly highs — 17 Dec 2025

Lloyds is in focus on 17 December 2025 as the FCA highlights new “agentic AI” risks ahead of planned customer trials in 2026, while UK inflation cools and LLOY shares trade close to 52‑week highs. Lloyds Banking Group plc is ending Wednesday in the spotlight for two big, connected themes: the next wave of customer-facing AI and the macro outlook for UK banks. A Reuters report says Lloyds is among the lenders working with the Financial Conduct Authority as the industry moves toward “agentic AI” trials that could automate budgeting, saving and investing decisions for customers. Reuters
17 December 2025
·
Anglo American (AAL) Jumps as Canada Approves Anglo‑Teck Merger: Key Commitments, Timeline, and What Comes Next (Dec. 17, 2025)

Anglo American (AAL) Jumps as Canada Approves Anglo‑Teck Merger: Key Commitments, Timeline, and What Comes Next (Dec. 17, 2025)

Anglo American rises after Canada clears the Anglo‑Teck merger under the Investment Canada Act. Here’s what investors should watch next. Anglo American plc is back in the spotlight today after the company confirmed a major regulatory breakthrough for its proposed “merger of equals” with Canada’s Teck Resources—one of the defining mining deals of 2025 and a bellwether for how governments are approaching critical minerals in an era of electrification and supply-chain security.
17 December 2025
···
Mortgage Rates Today (Dec. 17, 2025): 30-Year Fixed Hovers Near 6% After the Fed Cut—What It Means for Refinancing and a $700,000 Mortgage

Mortgage Rates Today (Dec. 17, 2025): 30-Year Fixed Hovers Near 6% After the Fed Cut—What It Means for Refinancing and a $700,000 Mortgage

Mortgage rates are still refusing to “follow the Fed” in a straight line, even after the Federal Reserve’s December policy move. If you’re shopping for a home or debating a refinance, today’s numbers—and the reason they’re behaving this way—matter more than the headlines. After the Fed cut its target range for the federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage point to 3.5%–3.75% on December 10, many borrowers expected mortgage rates to slide quickly. Instead, rates have stayed in a tight band in the low-6% range, and in some surveys they’ve even ticked higher week-over-week. Federal Reserve+1
17 December 2025
·
Diageo Shares Jump on $2.3bn Asahi Deal: What Today’s Kenya Exit Means for a Turnaround, Dividends and the £16 “Value” Debate

Diageo Shares Jump on $2.3bn Asahi Deal: What Today’s Kenya Exit Means for a Turnaround, Dividends and the £16 “Value” Debate

Diageo is back in focus on 17 December 2025 after agreeing to sell its 65% stake in East African Breweries to Asahi for $2.3bn. Here’s what the deal means for debt, dividends, and whether the share-price slump since 2022 is finally setting up a recovery. Investegate+2Reuters+2 London-listed drinks giant Diageo—the owner of Johnnie Walker and Guinness—has delivered one of its biggest corporate headlines of 2025, agreeing to sell its controlling stake in East African Breweries to Japan’s Asahi Group in a transaction expected to generate estimated net proceeds of $2.3 billion after tax and transaction costs. Investegate+1
17 December 2025
····
Glencore (GLEN) News Today: Berenberg Upgrades to “Buy” as Peru’s Quechua Copper Deal Sharpens the Growth Story (17 December 2025)

Glencore (GLEN) News Today: Berenberg Upgrades to “Buy” as Peru’s Quechua Copper Deal Sharpens the Growth Story (17 December 2025)

Glencore plc is in focus on 17 Dec 2025 after a Berenberg upgrade to “Buy” and fresh coverage of its Quechua copper project deal in Peru. Glencore plc is drawing fresh attention in early London trade as two narratives converge: renewed broker optimism and a copper-led expansion push in Peru. Glencore shares were higher in the morning session, trading around 382p as the market digested both an analyst upgrade and ongoing reporting around the company’s move to secure the Quechua copper project adjacent to its Antapaccay operations. shareprices.com+1
17 December 2025
·
Shell Plc (SHEL) News Today, 17 Dec 2025: Kaikias Waterflood Greenlight, Schwedt Refinery Exit Talks, Buybacks Continue, and Nigeria Gas Expansion

Shell Plc (SHEL) News Today, 17 Dec 2025: Kaikias Waterflood Greenlight, Schwedt Refinery Exit Talks, Buybacks Continue, and Nigeria Gas Expansion

Shell Plc is in focus on 17 December 2025 after approving a Gulf of Mexico waterflood project, restarting efforts to sell its Schwedt refinery stake in Germany, continuing its $3.5bn buyback, expanding gas distribution in Nigeria, and appearing to step back from a key voluntary shipping decarbonisation framework. Shell Plc is navigating a packed news cycle heading into mid-December, with fresh updates spanning upstream investment, European asset reshaping, shareholder returns, and gas-market growth in Nigeria. The combined headlines offer a clear snapshot of how CEO Wael Sawan’s Shell is trying to do two things at once: extend high-margin oil and gas production where it competes best, while reducing complexity and recycling capital back to shareholders.
17 December 2025
Barclays PLC (BARC) News Today (17 December 2025): Share Buyback Update, New Block Listing, Saudi Arabia Push, and Fresh UK Spending Signals

Barclays PLC (BARC) News Today (17 December 2025): Share Buyback Update, New Block Listing, Saudi Arabia Push, and Fresh UK Spending Signals

Barclays updates its share buyback, files for a 20m-share block listing, pushes into Saudi Arabia, and flags shifting UK spend trends. Barclays PLC is closing out 2025 with a packed news flow that spans shareholder returns, employee share plans, and a renewed Middle East investment-banking push—against a UK macro backdrop that’s putting interest rates back in the spotlight.
17 December 2025
··
HSBC Today (17 December 2025): New Hong Kong Credit-Income Fund, India Wealth Push, and What’s Moving HSBC Stock

HSBC Today (17 December 2025): New Hong Kong Credit-Income Fund, India Wealth Push, and What’s Moving HSBC Stock

HSBC is in focus on 17 Dec 2025 after launching a new credit-income fund in Hong Kong and opening a wealth-led branch in Indore, India, as rates and Hang Seng deal timing stay in the spotlight. HSBC Holdings plc is ending the year with a familiar playbook: double down on Asia’s wealth growth engine, broaden product shelves for income-hungry investors, and keep a close eye on how fast interest rates are heading lower in the UK and Europe.
17 December 2025
···
UK Inflation Drops to 3.2% in November as Food Prices Cool — Bank of England Rate Cut Looms

UK Inflation Drops to 3.2% in November as Food Prices Cool — Bank of England Rate Cut Looms

UK inflation fell to 3.2% in November, driven by cheaper food, tobacco and clothing discounts. Markets now expect a BoE rate cut on 18 December. Britain’s inflation rate cooled more sharply than expected in November, strengthening the case for an interest-rate cut just days before the Bank of England’s final policy decision of the year. Official figures show easing price pressures across groceries, clothing and tobacco—welcome news for households still feeling the cost-of-living squeeze, and a key input for policymakers weighing how quickly to bring borrowing costs down. Office for National Statistics+2Sky News+2
17 December 2025
···
BC Hydro Power Outages Update: Windstorm Fallout Lingers Across B.C.’s South Coast as New Wind Gusts Loom (Dec. 17, 2025)

BC Hydro Power Outages Update: Windstorm Fallout Lingers Across B.C.’s South Coast as New Wind Gusts Loom (Dec. 17, 2025)

VANCOUVER / VANCOUVER ISLAND / FRASER VALLEY — Crews are still repairing storm damage across British Columbia’s South Coast after a powerful windstorm and heavy rain knocked out electricity to tens of thousands of homes and businesses earlier this week. At the peak on Monday, BC Hydro reported outages affecting more than 90,000 customers across the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast, Vancouver Island, and the Gulf Islands, with additional outages expected while winds persisted. Global News+1 Today’s updates add a new layer of urgency: Environment Canada is warning of strong westerly wind gusts up to 80 km/h in parts of Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, and Vancouver Island areas, conditions that can bring down more trees and branches—especially where soils are saturated and vegetation is stressed. Environment Canada Weather+1
17 December 2025
Portland General Electric faces scrutiny over data center costs as Oregon POWER Act hits its first big test

Portland General Electric faces scrutiny over data center costs as Oregon POWER Act hits its first big test

Oregon utility watchdogs say Portland General Electric’s proposed “Peak Growth Modifier” could shift long-lived grid upgrade costs from fast-growing data centers to households—despite the state’s new POWER Act. Here’s what’s in dispute, what PGE says, and what regulators decide next. Oregon’s push to stop homeowners from subsidizing energy-hungry data centers is colliding with a high-stakes regulatory fight now unfolding around Portland General Electric. In recent reporting, the Oregon Citizens Utility Board accused PGE of trying to sidestep the intent of the state’s new POWER Act—an affordability-focused law designed to make large-load customers like data centers pay a larger share of the power supply and grid infrastructure built to serve them. opb.org+1
17 December 2025
··
Prudential plc (PRU) Rallies on Fresh Buybacks as ICICI Prudential AMC IPO Wins SEBI Approval – 27 November 2025

Prudential plc (PRU) Rallies on Fresh Buybacks as ICICI Prudential AMC IPO Wins SEBI Approval – 27 November 2025

Prudential’s share price pushes higher after another round of buybacks and a key green light for its Indian asset-management joint venture. Prudential plc’s London‑listed shares finished Thursday’s session at 1,093.5p, with a quoted spread of 1,093.5p to 1,094.0p, up 12.5p on the day — a gain of roughly 1.16%. That comfortably beat the FTSE 100, which was broadly flat, up only about 0.06%. Hargreaves Lansdown+1
27 November 2025
·
Halfords (HFD) HY26 Results: Cycling Sales Jump 9% as Motoring Club Nears 6m Members

Halfords (HFD) HY26 Results: Cycling Sales Jump 9% as Motoring Club Nears 6m Members

London, 27 November 2025 — Halfords Group plc, the UK’s best‑known motoring and cycling retailer, has reported a steady first-half performance for its 2025/26 financial year, powered by a strong rebound in cycling and continued growth in its garages and motoring club. For the 26 weeks to 26 September 2025, group revenue rose 3.3% to £893.3 million, with like‑for‑like sales up 4.1%. Underlying profit before tax edged up 1% to £21.2 million, while reported profit before tax slipped slightly to £17.2 million due to non‑underlying costs. Halfords Company
27 November 2025
·
Smiths Group Plc (SMIN) Kicks Off £1bn Buyback Tranche as Analysts Warm Up – 27 November 2025

Smiths Group Plc (SMIN) Kicks Off £1bn Buyback Tranche as Analysts Warm Up – 27 November 2025

London, 27 November 2025 – FTSE 100 engineering group Smiths Group Plc is firmly back in the spotlight today as it moves ahead with the first tranche of its new £1 billion share buyback programme, while analyst sentiment on the stock continues to improve. The combination of a sizeable capital return, solid recent results and fresh rating upgrades is sharpening investor focus on the stock as 2025 draws to a close.
27 November 2025
··
Sage Group plc (SGE) Share Price Today: £300m Buyback, Strong FY25 Results and AI Push – 27 November 2025

Sage Group plc (SGE) Share Price Today: £300m Buyback, Strong FY25 Results and AI Push – 27 November 2025

On 27 November 2025, Sage Group plc is trading around 1,072p as the FTSE 100 software group steps up a new £300m share buyback following double‑digit FY25 growth, a higher dividend and an accelerating AI strategy. As the London market closed on 27 November 2025, Sage Group plc finished the session with a sell price of about 1,072p and a buy price of 1,073p, up roughly 0.75% on the day. That leaves the FTSE 100 software group valued at around £10.2bn, with a dividend yield near 2.0% and a trailing P/E ratio of about 24–25 times earnings.Hargreaves Lansdown
27 November 2025
··
St James’s Place Share Price Climbs Again After Autumn Budget: What the 2025 ISA Reforms Mean for STJ Today (27 November 2025)

St James’s Place Share Price Climbs Again After Autumn Budget: What the 2025 ISA Reforms Mean for STJ Today (27 November 2025)

St. James’s Place plc, the UK’s largest advice-led wealth manager, extended its post‑Budget rally on Thursday, with the STJ share price closing around 1,389p, up about 2% on the day.Hargreaves Lansdown+1 The move caps a powerful four‑day run for the FTSE 100 group, as investors digest the UK Autumn Budget 2025, which introduced ISA reforms, a stamp duty holiday for new London listings, and plans for “investing hubs” – all seen as broadly supportive for firms like SJP that sit at the centre of UK retail investing.voxmarkets.com+1
27 November 2025
·
1 … 16 17 18 19 20 … 156

Stock Market Today

  • BofA Keeps Buy on MercadoLibre (MELI) as Credit Card, Brazil Numbers Jump
    July 4, 2026, 9:10 PM EDT. Bank of America Securities stuck with a Buy on MercadoLibre (MELI) after the company's credit card business more than doubled from a year ago in Q1 2026, now making up a major piece of its loan book. The firm called out Brazil, where gross merchandise volume grew 38% on an FX-neutral basis and items sold jumped 56%. Shares are down 10.66% year-to-date, but three-year total return is still up 52.83%. MELI trades below a "narrative fair value" of $2,284.19. The price-to-earnings ratio is about twice the sector's, which some say puts the future growth story to the test. Bank of America flagged risks such as credit losses and weak consumer trends in big markets.
Go toTop