Standard Chartered stock edges up after buyback update; STAN.L investors eye Feb results

Standard Chartered stock edges up after buyback update; STAN.L investors eye Feb results

London, Jan 8, 2026, 09:36 GMT — Regular session Standard Chartered (STAN.L) shares rose about 0.8% to 1,805 pence in early London trade on Thursday after the bank disclosed another round of share repurchases under its buyback programme. The lender said it bought 537,006 shares on Wednesday at an average 1,805.41 pence, lifting cumulative buyback spending to $1.11 billion and cutting shares outstanding after cancellation to about 2.26 billion. The stock has traded between 1,783.5 and 1,806.5 pence so far, still below its 52-week high of 1,875.5 pence. The move comes after a sharp pullback a day earlier. The shares
Diageo stock edges up in London after Kenya court bid targets $2.3 billion Asahi deal

Diageo stock edges up in London after Kenya court bid targets $2.3 billion Asahi deal

London, Jan 8, 2026, 09:35 GMT — Regular session Diageo shares edged higher in early London trade on Thursday, a small bounce after a Kenyan court filing put fresh noise around the spirits maker’s $2.3 billion plan to sell East African Breweries to Japan’s Asahi. Diageo was up 0.8% at 1,589.5 pence by 0919 GMT, while the FTSE 100 eased about 0.2%. SharePrices The move matters because Diageo has been leaning on asset sales to shore up cash flow and cut debt, and the Kenya challenge adds a new moving part just as investors are looking for cleaner lines on
LSEG shares edge higher after buyback filing as investors look to Feb results

LSEG shares edge higher after buyback filing as investors look to Feb results

London, Jan 8, 2026, 09:36 GMT — Regular session London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG.L) shares inched higher on Thursday after the company said it bought back 117,644 shares as part of its existing programme. The stock was up 0.1% at 8,898 pence. London South East The small gain follows a sharper move the other way a day earlier, when LSEG fell 2.33% to close at 88.90 pounds, underperforming the broader market. Trading volume was also light versus its recent average, MarketWatch data showed. MarketWatch Why this matters now: UK equities have been swinging between fresh highs and quick pullbacks, leaving
Lloyds Banking Group stock edges up after UK-first tokenised deposit blockchain trade

Lloyds Banking Group stock edges up after UK-first tokenised deposit blockchain trade

London, Jan 8, 2026, 09:46 GMT — Regular session Lloyds Banking Group plc (LLOY.L) shares edged up 0.7% to 99.58 pence on Thursday, after trading between 98.31 pence and 99.64 pence and sitting about 2 pence below a 52-week high of 101.70 pence. Investing.com The lender said on Wednesday it issued “tokenised deposits” — a digital form of bank money recorded on a blockchain — on the Canton Network and used them to buy a tokenised gilt, or UK government bond, from digital securities firm Archax. Surath Sengupta, head of transaction banking products at Lloyds, called it “a glimpse into
FTSE 100 record run stalls as gold dips and Tesla UK sales slide

FTSE 100 record run stalls as gold dips and Tesla UK sales slide

London, January 8, 2026, 09:21 GMT London’s FTSE 100 closed down 0.7% on Wednesday, pausing after a run of record highs as energy and financial stocks fell and investors tracked the latest U.S.-Venezuela moves. Energy shares slid after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had reached a deal to import up to $2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude, while banks fell and defence stocks edged higher. The mid-cap FTSE 250 ended 0.4% higher, holding near a four-year peak. Reuters The wobble comes at the start of a year when investors have pushed several major markets toward new highs, then started
Jefferies lifts Barclays, Lloyds and NatWest price targets as UK bank rally rolls into 2026

Jefferies lifts Barclays, Lloyds and NatWest price targets as UK bank rally rolls into 2026

LONDON, Jan 8, 2026, 09:26 (GMT) Jefferies has raised its price targets on Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group and NatWest Group, arguing there is still room for UK bank shares to climb despite a sharp run-up. The broker lifted its target on Barclays by 19% to 560p, Lloyds by 13% to 119p and NatWest by 14% to 720p, interactive investor reported. https://www.ii.co.uk/analysis-commentary/new-price-targets-lloyds-bank-barclays-natwest-and-others-ii537727 The calls matter because UK lenders were a major driver of last year’s gains in London’s benchmark index and are a bigger part of many portfolios than they used to be. Jefferies said it was getting harder for underweight
Scottish village’s last bar goes on the market as Hillside Hotel near Montrose seeks buyer

Scottish village’s last bar goes on the market as Hillside Hotel near Montrose seeks buyer

MONTROSE, Scotland, January 8, 2026, 09:22 (GMT) The Hillside Hotel in the Angus village of Hillside, near Montrose, has been put up for sale for offers in excess of £280,000, a property listing showed. The marketing describes a recently refurbished hotel and public bar with eight en-suite letting rooms and a car park. PropList The sale matters in a place like Hillside because there is not much slack. The Courier reported on Wednesday that owner Catherine Braes is selling up what it called the village’s final bar and hotel after 13 years. The Courier The hotel trades as Hillside Hotel
8 January 2026
IAG stock edges up as Bernstein lifts target and Morgan Stanley flags cash returns

IAG stock edges up as Bernstein lifts target and Morgan Stanley flags cash returns

London, Jan 8, 2026, 09:29 GMT — Regular session Shares in British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) rose 0.7% to about 435 pence on Thursday, extending a strong run after Bernstein lifted its target price on the airline group. MarketScreener The move matters now because IAG has become a crowded Europe travel trade, with investors looking for proof that high fares and a tighter aircraft market can keep feeding cash flow. The next big test is IAG’s FY-2025 results, due on Feb. 27. iairgroup.com Morgan Stanley, in a note on Tuesday launching coverage of IAG’s U.S.-listed ADRs, pointed
GSK share price slips as hepatitis B drug headline leaves investors wanting the numbers

GSK share price slips as hepatitis B drug headline leaves investors wanting the numbers

London, Jan 8, 2026, 09:12 GMT — Regular session GSK (GSK.L) shares slipped on Thursday as investors weighed upbeat headlines on its experimental hepatitis B therapy against a lack of hard cure-rate data. The stock was down 0.9% at 1,883.5 pence in London trade, after moving between 1,880 and 1,896.5 pence and staying near the top of its 52-week range. Investing.com+1 GSK said two Phase III trials of bepirovirsen met their primary endpoint — the main goal set before the studies began — and delivered a statistically significant “functional cure” rate on top of standard treatment. A functional cure, as
NatWest share price edges higher after Barclays downgrade jolt; buybacks, Feb. 13 results in focus

NatWest share price edges higher after Barclays downgrade jolt; buybacks, Feb. 13 results in focus

London, Jan 8, 2026, 09:22 GMT — Regular session NatWest Group (NWG.L) shares were up 0.6% at 636.2 pence on Thursday, after opening lower and trading between 625.0p and 637.2p on a 15-minute delay. The stock is about 6% below Tuesday’s 52-week peak of 674.2p. London South East The move comes a day after NatWest slid 4.3% when Barclays downgraded the lender to “equal-weight” from “overweight” — broker shorthand for stepping back to a neutral view from a buy-leaning one. Heavyweight banks dragged the FTSE 100 lower in that session. Reuters Investors are now trying to work out whether the
Barclays shares edge up after Ubyx stablecoin stake and fresh buyback update

Barclays shares edge up after Ubyx stablecoin stake and fresh buyback update

London, January 8, 2026, 09:18 GMT — Regular session Barclays (BARC.L) shares were up 0.7% at 482.9 pence by 0854 GMT, after ending Wednesday at 479.55p. The stock traded in a 476.70p–483.20p range and remains below its 52-week high of 492.95p. SharePrices Barclays said on Wednesday it had taken a stake in U.S. stablecoin-settlement company Ubyx, its first investment in a stablecoin-related business. Ubyx runs a clearing system for stablecoins — cryptocurrencies designed to track mainstream currencies 1:1 — and Barclays did not disclose the size of the investment. The bank was among 10 lenders, including Goldman Sachs and UBS,
Unilever PLC stock hits a fresh 52-week low as Jefferies stays wary ahead of February results

Unilever PLC stock hits a fresh 52-week low as Jefferies stays wary ahead of February results

London, Jan 8, 2026, 09:02 GMT — Regular session Unilever PLC (ULVR.L) shares fell 0.7% to 4,599.6 pence by 0902 GMT, after touching 4,584.5 pence, the bottom of their 52-week range. The FTSE 100 was down about 0.2% and peer Reckitt Benckiser was up about 0.8%. Google+1 The slide follows a 2.4% drop on Wednesday, when Unilever closed at £46.31 and lagged the wider market. The stock is about 16% below its Dec. 19 high, with trading volume running below recent averages, MarketWatch data showed. MarketWatch Broker notes were adding to the caution. Jefferies analyst David Hayes reiterated an “underperform”

Stock Market Today

ST Engineering stock price drops 2% to S$9.71 as drone-autonomy tie-up grabs attention

ST Engineering stock price drops 2% to S$9.71 as drone-autonomy tie-up grabs attention

7 February 2026
ST Engineering shares fell 1.9% to S$9.71 Friday, outpacing the Singapore market’s 0.8% drop amid a tech-led selloff. The company signed a deal with Shield AI at the Singapore Airshow to integrate autonomy software into its unmanned platforms and unveiled a small drone capable of carrying explosives. About 6.9 million shares traded as investors await full-year results on Feb. 27.
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