Today: 7 February 2026
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Budget 2026 curveball? India weighs joint taxation for couples as ICAI pushes overhaul

Budget 2026 curveball? India weighs joint taxation for couples as ICAI pushes overhaul

India’s Finance Ministry is considering an optional joint taxation system for married couples, NDTV reported. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India has proposed separate tax slabs for joint filers, aiming to ease the burden on single-income households. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget on February 1. ICAI’s forensic accounting exam registration closes January 17, with the test set for January 24.
17 January 2026
Severn Trent share price: SVT closes higher as Ofwat scrutiny keeps UK water stocks in focus

Severn Trent share price: SVT closes higher as Ofwat scrutiny keeps UK water stocks in focus

Severn Trent shares rose 0.6% to 2,835 pence at Friday’s close, with no new company updates since Jan. 2. The water utility’s market cap stands at £8.54 billion. Investors are awaiting Severn Trent’s trading update due February 11. Regulatory scrutiny in the UK water sector remains in focus after Ofwat launched an investigation into South East Water.
17 January 2026
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Ashtead Group share price: Buyback filing keeps traders focused as London heads into Monday

Ashtead Group share price: Buyback filing keeps traders focused as London heads into Monday

Ashtead shares closed down 0.4% at 5,302 pence in London Friday after the group bought back 72,300 shares for treasury at an average 5,327.7 pence each. The company now holds 35.1 million shares in treasury, with 416.2 million outstanding. Traders are watching the pace of buybacks and the timeline for Ashtead’s planned U.S. relisting. The $1.5 billion buyback is set to launch March 2, coinciding with Sunbelt’s NYSE debut.
17 January 2026
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Standard Chartered share price hits new 52-week high — what to watch for STAN.L on Monday

Standard Chartered share price hits new 52-week high — what to watch for STAN.L on Monday

Standard Chartered shares rose 1.5% to 1,878.5 pence Friday, setting a 52-week high in London. The bank is considering a full exit from Botswana, according to the country’s central bank, and is weighing options for its India credit-card business. Standard Chartered repurchased over 549,000 shares on Jan. 15. The FTSE 100 closed flat after hitting a record high Thursday.
17 January 2026
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EPFO’s UPI withdrawal plan could roll out by April — plus “Suvidha” helpers to fix PF snags

EPFO’s UPI withdrawal plan could roll out by April — plus “Suvidha” helpers to fix PF snags

India’s EPFO will enable provident fund withdrawals via UPI by April, allowing direct transfers to members’ bank accounts with UPI PIN authentication, officials said Friday. The agency is piloting licensed “Suvidha Providers” to help members file claims and resolve issues. Faster processing will still require verified KYC and fraud safeguards. A Central Board of Trustees meeting in February will review the proposals.
17 January 2026
Experian share price slips into the weekend as dividend FX set — what to watch next week

Experian share price slips into the weekend as dividend FX set — what to watch next week

Experian shares fell 1.02% to 3,296 pence Friday after the company set a £1=$1.33804 exchange rate for its 21.25 cent interim dividend, translating to about 15.88 pence per share. The FTSE 100 slipped 0.04% to 10,235.29. Experian will report third-quarter trading for FY26 on Jan. 21. The company issued 81,305 shares under its UK Sharesave plan in the latest six-month period.
17 January 2026
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SpaceX’s NROL-105 launch puts new U.S. spy satellites in orbit as NRO ramps up “proliferated” fleet

SpaceX’s NROL-105 launch puts new U.S. spy satellites in orbit as NRO ramps up “proliferated” fleet

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base late Friday, carrying classified NRO satellites into low Earth orbit. The first-stage booster B1100 landed safely at the base about 7.5 minutes after liftoff. Details on the number and nature of the satellites remain undisclosed. The mission supports the NRO’s expanding network of smaller reconnaissance satellites.
17 January 2026
BP share price ends higher; buyback and offshore wind shift set up next week for BP stock

BP share price ends higher; buyback and offshore wind shift set up next week for BP stock

BP shares closed up 0.5% at 440.25 pence in London Friday, while U.S. ADRs rose to $35.38. The company repurchased over 3 million shares Jan. 16 and plans to move them into treasury. BP’s offshore wind JV acquired EnBW’s Mona stake but dropped the Morgan project. BP warned of $4–5 billion in Q4 impairments, mainly from low-carbon assets, ahead of results due Feb. 10.
17 January 2026
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Barclays share price rises into weekend — buyback update and rate risks to watch next week

Barclays share price rises into weekend — buyback update and rate risks to watch next week

Barclays closed Friday up 0.96% at 488.95p after buying back over 2 million shares on Jan. 15, bringing its total repurchased since October to more than 77 million. The bank will cancel these shares. Former Bank of England officials criticized the central bank’s recent capital requirement cut. Markets await UK inflation data and a U.S. credit-card rate decision.
17 January 2026
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Anglo American share price slides as copper cools — what to watch before Monday

Anglo American share price slides as copper cools — what to watch before Monday

Anglo American shares fell 2.4% to 3,240 pence Friday, snapping a rally after hitting a 52-week high Thursday. Copper prices on the London Metal Exchange dropped 1.2% to $12,955 a ton amid weak Chinese demand, dragging London miners and the FTSE 100 lower. Glencore lost 2.5%, Rio Tinto 1.8%. Trading volume in Anglo shares was below average at 3.6 million.
17 January 2026
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Rio Tinto share price slips from fresh high as Glencore deal talk runs into China risk

Rio Tinto share price slips from fresh high as Glencore deal talk runs into China risk

Rio Tinto shares fell 1.87% to 6,347 pence in London on Friday, retreating from a 52-week high as miners were hit by concerns over Chinese copper demand. The potential merger with Glencore faces uncertainty, with analysts warning Chinese approval may require asset sales. Iron ore futures also slipped, and inventories at Chinese ports reached a record 165.6 million tons.
17 January 2026
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Stock Market Today

Semiconductor stocks surge as AI capex stays high; Nvidia and AMD lead into next week

Semiconductor stocks surge as AI capex stays high; Nvidia and AMD lead into next week

7 February 2026
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index jumped 5.7% to 8,048.6 on Friday, with Nvidia up 7.87% and AMD rising 8.28%. The surge followed new forecasts showing global chip sales could hit $1 trillion in 2026. Amazon expects a 50% increase in capital spending this year, fueling demand for chips. The Dow Jones crossed 50,000, helped by gains in chipmakers.
Oil stocks jump on Iran risk lift for crude — what to watch before Monday

Oil stocks jump on Iran risk lift for crude — what to watch before Monday

7 February 2026
U.S. oil stocks surged Friday as crude prices rose on renewed Middle East tensions. Exxon Mobil gained 2.0%, ConocoPhillips 2.5%, and Occidental Petroleum 2.7%. Refiners rallied after a national union deal eased strike risk, though BP’s Whiting plant faces a local dispute. Brent settled at $68.05 a barrel, up 0.74%.
Silver price rebound masks fresh stress after CME lifts margins again

Silver price rebound masks fresh stress after CME lifts margins again

7 February 2026
Spot silver surged 8.6% to $77.33 an ounce Friday after dropping below $65, but still lost over 8.7% for the week. CME Group raised margin requirements for COMEX silver futures to 18% from 15%, effective after Feb. 6. China’s UBS SDIC Silver Futures Fund hit its 10% down limit for a fifth session. Traders await key U.S. jobs and inflation data next week.
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