Today: 7 February 2026
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Shan Ahmed Khan

As a journalist focused on finance and the stock market, he delivers fast, reliable, and easy-to-understand coverage of market news.

Vodafone share price jumps nearly 3% in London as buyback clock ticks and Q3 update looms

Vodafone share price jumps nearly 3% in London as buyback clock ticks and Q3 update looms

Vodafone shares rose 2.7% to 114.45 pence in early London trading Wednesday, ahead of the company’s Q3 FY26 update and investor Q&A set for Thursday. Trading volume reached 13.2 million shares by 09:03 GMT. Vodacom, majority-owned by Vodafone, reported a 13% jump in quarterly service revenue, led by growth in Egypt and Congo. Vodafone’s ongoing share buyback program is due to end Feb. 4.
4 February 2026
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Zurich’s £8bn Beazley bid jolts FTSE 100 to a fresh record as GSK rallies, AI fears hit data stocks

Zurich’s £8bn Beazley bid jolts FTSE 100 to a fresh record as GSK rallies, AI fears hit data stocks

Zurich Insurance has proposed to buy Beazley for up to 1,335 pence per share, valuing the deal at about £8 billion. Beazley’s board said it would support the offer if Zurich makes a firm bid by Feb. 16. Beazley shares rose 9% on the news. The FTSE 100 hit a new intraday high, with GSK up and Relx and LSEG under pressure from AI concerns.
4 February 2026
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Sage Group share price slips again: AI selloff hits SGE.L ahead of AGM

Sage Group share price slips again: AI selloff hits SGE.L ahead of AGM

Sage Group shares fell 3.9% to 837 pence in London by mid-morning Wednesday, extending losses amid concerns that AI automation could threaten software subscription revenues. The company reported a 10% rise in organic revenue to £674 million and continued its buyback program, purchasing nearly 2 million shares on Feb. 3. Sage’s annual general meeting is set for Thursday, with a final dividend of 14.40 pence up for approval.
4 February 2026
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3i Group shares dip as GIC tops 5% stake — what investors watch next

3i Group shares dip as GIC tops 5% stake — what investors watch next

3i shares fell 0.25% in early London trading after a filing showed Singapore’s GIC crossed a 5% ownership threshold. The company last week issued 31.4 million new shares to GIC in a £1 billion deal for a larger stake in Dutch retailer Action. 3i reported diluted NAV at 3,017 pence per share as of December 31 and holds a 62.3% stake in Action valued at £22.4 billion.
4 February 2026
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BAE Systems share price ticks up as Ukraine air-defence buy, $195m US Marines order and buyback hit tape

BAE Systems share price ticks up as Ukraine air-defence buy, $195m US Marines order and buyback hit tape

BAE Systems shares edged up 0.1% to 1,933.5 pence in London after new Ukraine and U.S. defense contracts. The company secured a $195 million U.S. Marine Corps order and will supply air defense systems to Ukraine via a Swedish-Danish deal. Over 1,200 BAE workers in northwest England began a strike Feb. 2 over pay. BAE repurchased 110,541 shares for cancellation on Feb. 3.
4 February 2026
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Novo Nordisk stock hammered as Ozempic maker warns 2026 sales may fall up to 13%

Novo Nordisk stock hammered as Ozempic maker warns 2026 sales may fall up to 13%

Novo Nordisk warned adjusted sales and operating profit may fall 5% to 13% in 2026, citing U.S. price cuts and rising competition from Eli Lilly. Shares plunged 18% in early Copenhagen trading. CEO Mike Doustdar called the U.S. price reductions for Wegovy “painful.” Novo also flagged patent expiries and pressure from compounded GLP-1 drugs.
4 February 2026
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GSK stock swings after earnings as new CEO Luke Miels sets softer 2026 outlook

GSK stock swings after earnings as new CEO Luke Miels sets softer 2026 outlook

GSK shares rose 1.4% Wednesday morning after new CEO Luke Miels issued a 2026 outlook projecting slower sales growth and warning of possible weakness in vaccines and general medicines. The company reported 2025 sales up 7% to £32.67 billion and forecast 2026 turnover growth of 3% to 5%. Investors remain focused on GSK’s ability to manage looming HIV patent expirations.
4 February 2026
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National Grid share price rises in London as €650m green bond terms land, Ofgem decision in view

National Grid share price rises in London as €650m green bond terms land, Ofgem decision in view

National Grid shares rose 0.6% to 1,264 pence in early London trading after its UK transmission unit set final terms for a €650 million green bond maturing in 2034. The bond carries a 3.563% coupon and is part of the group’s €20 billion note programme. Investors are watching Ofgem’s consultation on network licence changes, with responses due by March 2.
4 February 2026
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Lloyds share price jumps toward a fresh high as corporate banking push report lands

Lloyds share price jumps toward a fresh high as corporate banking push report lands

Lloyds shares rose 1.4% to 114.2 pence in early London trading, approaching a 52-week high, after reports of a planned expansion into corporate banking. Deutsche Bank raised its target price to 125 pence, keeping a buy rating, while Shore Capital downgraded Lloyds to sell. The bank bought back nearly 3 million shares on Tuesday. Lloyds recently posted a 12% rise in 2025 pre-tax profit to £6.7 billion.
4 February 2026
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Stock Market Today

Applied Digital stock jumps 25% as AI data-center names rebound — what’s next for APLD

Applied Digital stock jumps 25% as AI data-center names rebound — what’s next for APLD

7 February 2026
Applied Digital Corporation shares jumped 25.52% Friday to $34.95, then slipped to $34.60 after hours. The company reported fiscal Q2 revenue up 250% to $126.6 million and signed leases for 600 MW of data center capacity in North Dakota. Applied Digital broke ground on a new 430‑MW campus in the southern U.S. in January. Financing includes a $100 million promissory note with 8% interest, paid in kind.
Eli Lilly stock pops as FDA targets cheap weight-loss copycats — what to know before Monday

Eli Lilly stock pops as FDA targets cheap weight-loss copycats — what to know before Monday

7 February 2026
Eli Lilly shares rose 3.7% to $1,058.18 Friday after the FDA said it would act against telehealth firm Hims & Hers for marketing a $49 compounded weight-loss pill. The move followed a sharp selloff Thursday when Hims announced plans to sell a version of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy. Investors remain uncertain how aggressively regulators will police copycat drugs and pricing in the obesity drug market.
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