Today: 7 February 2026
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Aldi pay rise 2026: UK staff get March bump and longer maternity pay, Ireland hits €15.40 living wage

Aldi pay rise 2026: UK staff get March bump and longer maternity pay, Ireland hits €15.40 living wage

Aldi UK will raise its starting hourly wage to £13.35 from March 1 and extend full-pay maternity leave to 26 weeks. Aldi Ireland will boost hourly pay by 2% from February 1, setting a new minimum of €15.40. The UK pay hike affects tens of thousands of workers and follows a £36 million investment in pay and benefits. The moves come ahead of the UK minimum wage increase in April.
15 January 2026
UK GDP Beats Forecasts: November Growth Hits 0.3% as Car Output Rebounds

UK GDP Beats Forecasts: November Growth Hits 0.3% as Car Output Rebounds

UK GDP rose 0.3% in November, rebounding from a 0.1% drop in October, driven by a surge in car manufacturing and gains in services, official data showed Thursday. The three-month growth rate edged up 0.1%. Construction fell 1.3% in November. Sterling briefly jumped as investors weighed the surprise increase against Bank of England rate cut expectations.
15 January 2026
Lloyds hit with data watchdog questions as Barclays, NatWest buybacks keep UK bank shares in focus

Lloyds hit with data watchdog questions as Barclays, NatWest buybacks keep UK bank shares in focus

Britain’s data watchdog is investigating Lloyds after the bank used aggregated staff banking data in pay talks, The Guardian reported. Lloyds shares rose 0.8% to near a 52-week high. Barclays and NatWest disclosed new share buybacks, with Barclays repurchasing 3.5 million shares and NatWest buying back 842,406 shares on January 14. UK bank stocks have surged more than 80% over the past year.
15 January 2026
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IAG stock edges up as Vueling lays out €5 billion Boeing 737 MAX shift and 2035 growth push

IAG stock edges up as Vueling lays out €5 billion Boeing 737 MAX shift and 2035 growth push

IAG shares rose about 0.5% to 406.5 pence in early London trading, partially reversing a five-day slide. Vueling announced a €5 billion plan to switch to Boeing 737 MAX jets and target 60 million passengers by 2035. Broker opinions diverged on IAG, citing demand and delivery risks for 2026. The first 737 MAX is due in October 2026, with the full transition expected in seven to eight years.
15 January 2026
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3i Group share price jumps as UK GDP beats forecasts and investors look to Jan 29 update

3i Group share price jumps as UK GDP beats forecasts and investors look to Jan 29 update

3i Group shares rose 3.8% to 3,150 pence in early London trading Thursday after UK GDP data beat forecasts, easing recession fears and fueling rate cut bets. Official figures showed UK GDP grew 0.3% in November, led by services and production. 3i’s stock remains volatile and well below its October peak. Investors await the company’s Q3 update on Jan. 29 for details on its portfolio and Action stake.
15 January 2026
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Experian PLC stock slips again: what to watch before the Jan. 21 trading update

Experian PLC stock slips again: what to watch before the Jan. 21 trading update

Experian shares slipped 0.12% to 3,321 pence in early London trading Thursday, extending a three-day decline ahead of its Jan. 21 third-quarter update. The FTSE 100 edged up 0.04% by 0850 GMT, but Experian lagged the broader market. Investors await the update for signs of lending and fraud-check demand. The interim dividend exchange rate will be set Jan. 16.
15 January 2026
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SSE stock steadies near highs after Berwick Bank wins 20-year UK wind price deal

SSE stock steadies near highs after Berwick Bank wins 20-year UK wind price deal

SSE shares rose 0.2% to 2,299 pence by 09:26 GMT after the company secured a 20-year UK government contract for 1.4 GW from its Berwick Bank offshore wind project at £89.49/MWh, inflation-linked. The company plans a final investment decision in 2027. Traders are watching for SSE’s trading update on Feb. 4 and the next UK wind auction later this year.
15 January 2026
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Haleon stock today: shares slip as JD Health China deal lands and Deutsche Bank turns bearish

Haleon stock today: shares slip as JD Health China deal lands and Deutsche Bank turns bearish

Haleon shares fell 0.5% to 364.5 pence in early London trading after Deutsche Bank downgraded the stock to “sell” and cut its price target to 340 pence. JD Health and Haleon announced a new deal to expand their partnership in China beyond chronic disease management. Investors await Haleon’s full-year results on Feb. 25. Financial terms of the China deal were not disclosed.
15 January 2026
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Fresnillo stock slides nearly 4% as silver cools — Citi target and Probe deal steps in focus

Fresnillo stock slides nearly 4% as silver cools — Citi target and Probe deal steps in focus

Fresnillo shares fell 3.8% to 3,624p in early London trading Thursday as silver retreated from record highs. Probe Gold shareholders approved Fresnillo’s C$780 million takeover, with a final court hearing set for Jan. 19. Citi raised its Fresnillo price target to 4,600p and kept a buy rating. Spot silver dropped 3.4% to $89.63 an ounce after hitting a record $93.57 earlier in the session.
15 January 2026
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Trip.com’s antitrust shock hits Hong Kong stocks as Hang Seng slips; Alibaba’s Qwen upgrade draws focus

Trip.com’s antitrust shock hits Hong Kong stocks as Hang Seng slips; Alibaba’s Qwen upgrade draws focus

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index closed down 0.5% at 26,866.29 Thursday, led by a sharp drop in Trip.com shares after news of a China antitrust probe. Trip.com fell as much as 21.7% before paring losses. Alibaba launched new Qwen app features for food delivery and travel booking. China raised minimum margin requirements for margin trading on major exchanges.
15 January 2026
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Vodafone Group Public Limited Company stock slips after buyback notice; Feb. 5 update in focus

Vodafone Group Public Limited Company stock slips after buyback notice; Feb. 5 update in focus

Vodafone shares fell 0.5% to 99.34 pence in early London trading Thursday after the company disclosed it repurchased nearly 4 million shares on Jan. 14 at an average 99.37 pence. The buyback program, capped at €500 million, is set to end by Feb. 4. Investors await Vodafone’s third-quarter update on Feb. 5. The stock closed Wednesday at 99.82 pence, up 1.18% for the day.
15 January 2026
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National Grid plc stock edges up in London as gilt yields slide — what to watch next

National Grid plc stock edges up in London as gilt yields slide — what to watch next

National Grid shares rose 0.6% to 1,174 pence in early London trading after the company issued over 7 million new shares through its scrip dividend scheme. The 10-year gilt yield fell to 4.34% as UK government bonds rallied. UK GDP grew 0.3% in November, beating forecasts. Investors await inflation data on January 21 and the Bank of England meeting on February 5.
15 January 2026
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NatWest share price rises in early London trade after fresh buyback filing — what to watch next

NatWest share price rises in early London trade after fresh buyback filing — what to watch next

NatWest shares rose 1.2% to 637.8 pence in early London trading after the bank announced further buybacks, purchasing over 1.6 million shares for cancellation on Jan. 13 and 14. Investors await the Feb. 13 annual results for updates on targets and capital returns. Morgan Stanley expects new medium-term goals and a possible cut to NatWest’s capital ratio target.
15 January 2026
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Stock Market Today

Johnson & Johnson stock price: What to watch after talc-case law firm ouster and new AFib data

Johnson & Johnson stock price: What to watch after talc-case law firm ouster and new AFib data

7 February 2026
Johnson & Johnson shares rose 0.9% to $239.99 Friday after a New Jersey appeals court disqualified Beasley Allen from state talc cases, citing improper coordination with a former J&J attorney. The ruling affects about 3,600 state lawsuits, while a related federal motion is pending. J&J also reported early 12-month pilot data for its investigational AFib device at a cardiology meeting.
Walmart stock jumps 3% to $131 as Dow clears 50,000 — what to watch before Monday

Walmart stock jumps 3% to $131 as Dow clears 50,000 — what to watch before Monday

7 February 2026
Walmart shares climbed 3.34% to $131.18 Friday, pushing its market value to about $1.05 trillion as the Dow closed above 50,000 for the first time. Retail stocks mostly gained, with Target up 4.24% and Costco up 1.20%, while Amazon dropped 5.55%. Investors await Walmart’s fiscal Q4 results on Feb. 19 and key U.S. economic data next week.
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