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.

AI stocks slide premarket as Oracle lines up $50 billion raise and Nvidia-OpenAI deal doubts linger

AI stocks slide premarket as Oracle lines up $50 billion raise and Nvidia-OpenAI deal doubts linger

Oracle shares fell 2.6% premarket after announcing plans to raise up to $50 billion this year for AI cloud infrastructure, splitting funding between debt and equity. The move follows a bondholder lawsuit and rising credit-default swap costs. Nvidia, Microsoft, Meta, and AMD also traded lower before the open. Nasdaq 100 futures slipped 0.9% amid a broader selloff in gold and silver and news of Kevin Warsh’s Fed nomination.
2 February 2026
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Oil prices tumble 5% as Trump flags Iran talks, risk premium drains fast

Oil prices tumble 5% as Trump flags Iran talks, risk premium drains fast

Oil prices fell about 5% Monday after Donald Trump said Iran was “seriously talking” with the U.S., easing supply fears. Brent crude dropped $3.63 to $65.69 a barrel, while U.S. crude fell $3.60 to $61.61. OPEC+ kept March output steady and received updated compensation plans from Iraq, UAE, Kazakhstan, and Oman. Traders are watching China’s demand and upcoming U.S. inventory and jobs data.
2 February 2026
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Mortgage rates today: 30-year fixed holds near 6.16% as Treasury yields slip — what moves next

Mortgage rates today: 30-year fixed holds near 6.16% as Treasury yields slip — what moves next

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate held at 6.16% Monday, with the 15-year at 5.62%, according to Bankrate. The 10-year Treasury yield slipped to 4.22% in early trading. Mortgage-backed securities, tracked by BlackRock’s iShares MBS ETF, edged down 0.1% to $95.69. Analysts say rates are unlikely to fall meaningfully without a drop in inflation or a rise in unemployment.
2 February 2026
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Bitcoin price today slips below $78,000 as Warsh Fed pick stokes liquidity jitters

Bitcoin price today slips below $78,000 as Warsh Fed pick stokes liquidity jitters

Bitcoin fell nearly 1% to $77,582 early Monday, while Ether dropped 4.6% to $2,279 as traders reacted to Donald Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh for Fed chair. CME Group raised margin requirements on metal futures after a sell-off, intensifying liquidity concerns. U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs saw $510 million in outflows last week. Focus now shifts to Friday’s U.S. jobs report for signals on Fed policy.
2 February 2026
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Silver price slides again as margin hikes bite; Warsh Fed pick keeps metals on back foot

Silver price slides again as margin hikes bite; Warsh Fed pick keeps metals on back foot

Spot silver fell 3.4% to $81.65 an ounce by 1008 GMT Monday, extending losses after a record 27% plunge Friday. CME hiked margin requirements, forcing traders to liquidate positions as the dollar strengthened. Silver has dropped about a third since last week’s all-time high. The market is bracing for more volatility ahead of Friday’s U.S. jobs report.
2 February 2026
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Natural gas price today: Henry Hub tumbles 16% as warmer forecasts puncture winter rally

Natural gas price today: Henry Hub tumbles 16% as warmer forecasts puncture winter rally

U.S. natural gas futures fell over 16% early Monday to about $3.63/mmBtu, erasing last week’s gains as forecasts turned milder and eased heating demand concerns. The drop follows a volatile period driven by winter storms and production cuts. Traders are watching Thursday’s EIA storage report and LNG feedgas flows for direction.
2 February 2026
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UK stock market today: FTSE 100 steadies as miners tumble in metals rout, BoE looms

UK stock market today: FTSE 100 steadies as miners tumble in metals rout, BoE looms

FTSE 100 edged up 0.1% by late morning as defensive shares offset sharp losses in mining stocks. Commodity prices tumbled after President Trump nominated Kevin Warsh as Fed chair, with gold down 5% and silver over 7%. FTSE 250 fell 0.4%, led by declines in Auction Technology Group and Ocado. UK manufacturing PMI rose to 51.8 in January, signaling growth.
2 February 2026
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Gold price slides again as CME margin hikes spur forced selling, Warsh Fed pick boosts dollar

Gold price slides again as CME margin hikes spur forced selling, Warsh Fed pick boosts dollar

Gold fell 3.2% to $4,708.19 an ounce by 1008 GMT Monday, extending a sharp decline after last week’s record high. Margin hikes and a stronger dollar triggered heavy selling, with spot silver down 3.4% and U.S. gold futures off 0.3%. Commodities and stocks also dropped after President Trump named Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair. Gold has lost about $900 since Jan. 29.
2 February 2026
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India stock market today: Nifty, Sensex rebound after Budget 2026 STT shock; RBI in focus

India stock market today: Nifty, Sensex rebound after Budget 2026 STT shock; RBI in focus

Sensex jumped 943.52 points to 81,666.46 and Nifty 50 rose 262.95 to 25,088.40, recovering from Sunday’s sharp budget-day losses. The rebound followed a proposed hike in the securities transaction tax on equity derivatives. Power Grid surged 7.6%. The rupee gained 0.5% to 91.5125 per dollar; 10-year bond yield hit 6.77%.
2 February 2026
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Stock Market Today

Lloyds share price steadies after buyback update and BoE rate jitters — what to watch next week

Lloyds share price steadies after buyback update and BoE rate jitters — what to watch next week

7 February 2026
LONDON, February 7, 2026, 08:48 GMT — Market closed Lloyds Banking Group shares finished Friday higher after the lender flagged another round of share buybacks, helping to steady the stock at the end of a volatile two-day swing driven by shifting expectations for UK interest rates. With London markets closed for the weekend, the focus moves to Monday’s open and whether rate-cut pricing keeps easing pressure on bank earnings. Lloyds is a UK-focused lender, and investors tend to treat it as a clean play on domestic growth, mortgages and the direction of Bank Rate. That makes the stock quick to
Vodafone shares steady up after Q3 wobble — Germany, buyback and next results now set the tone

Vodafone shares steady up after Q3 wobble — Germany, buyback and next results now set the tone

7 February 2026
Vodafone shares rose 1.47% to 110.60p Friday, recovering part of Thursday’s 4.68% drop after a Q3 update. Group revenue climbed 6.5% to €10.5 billion, but Germany’s 0.7% service revenue growth missed some forecasts. Vodafone launched a new €500 million buyback tranche, bringing total buybacks since May to €3.5 billion. Investors remain focused on Germany’s pace and cash flow execution.
NatWest Group stock: buyback filing and Rightmove mortgage deal set up a busy week

NatWest Group stock: buyback filing and Rightmove mortgage deal set up a busy week

7 February 2026
NatWest shares closed up 1.45% at 659.4 pence Friday, buoyed by a buyback of 797,428 shares and a new digital mortgage deal with Rightmove. The Bank of England held rates at 3.75% but signaled possible cuts, with markets pricing in two reductions for 2026. NatWest plans to expand its Accelerator community to 50,000 members by 2026. Annual results are due Feb. 13.
Unilever share price holds at 5,250p as results week looms — what investors watch next

Unilever share price holds at 5,250p as results week looms — what investors watch next

7 February 2026
Unilever shares closed flat at 5,250p in London Friday, underperforming the FTSE 100’s 0.6% gain. The company issued 4.2 million new shares for employee plans, bringing total shares to over 2.18 billion. Investors await Q4 and full-year results on Feb. 12, with analyst consensus pointing to 3.9% Q4 sales growth. Unilever’s U.S. ADR rose 0.8% to $72.12.
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