Today: 7 February 2026
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Chevron caught in Venezuela oil clamp as PDVSA cuts output under U.S. embargo

Chevron caught in Venezuela oil clamp as PDVSA cuts output under U.S. embargo

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 15:11 ET Venezuela’s state-run oil company PDVSA has begun cutting crude output as storage fills after a U.S. export embargo — enforced through a blockade of sanctioned tankers — halted oil exports, the country’s main source of revenue, sources said. Chevron-chartered tankers that had kept moving under a U.S. authorization have not left Venezuelan waters since Thursday, while PDVSA has struggled to import diluents — lighter oil and naphtha used to thin extra-heavy crude for transport. Reuters The export freeze puts a key OPEC supplier’s cash flow and operations at risk just as Washington’s pressure
4 January 2026
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Accenture stock drops 3% to start 2026 — here’s what could move ACN next

Accenture stock drops 3% to start 2026 — here’s what could move ACN next

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 14:58 ET — Market closed Accenture plc (ACN) shares ended Friday down 3.1% at $259.95, their third straight session of losses. Marketwatch The decline left the IT consulting firm lagging a broader market that finished higher on the first trading day of 2026, helped by gains in chipmakers. Reuters Why it matters now: Accenture heads into the first full week of the year with its stock about 35% below its 52-week high of $398.35, leaving the shares more sensitive to shifts in risk appetite. Marketwatch Macro catalysts arrive before company ones. The U.S. government is
4 January 2026
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Verizon stock dips into 2026 as yields rise — what investors watch before VZ earnings

Verizon stock dips into 2026 as yields rise — what investors watch before VZ earnings

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 15:17 ET — Market closed Verizon Communications Inc. shares ended the first trading session of 2026 lower, closing down 0.6% on Friday at $40.52. The broader market finished higher, while Treasury yields climbed, keeping pressure on rate-sensitive dividend stocks. Reuters That matters now because Verizon is widely treated as a “bond proxy” — a high-dividend stock that can trade like a bond when interest-rate expectations shift. Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President Anna Paulson said on Saturday that additional rate cuts could take a while as policymakers assess the economy, according to a Reuters report.
4 January 2026
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P&G stock slips to start 2026: what to watch before Procter & Gamble’s Jan. 22 earnings

P&G stock slips to start 2026: what to watch before Procter & Gamble’s Jan. 22 earnings

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 15:17 ET — Market closed Procter & Gamble (PG) shares fell 1.06% to close at $141.79 on Friday, extending a four-session losing streak in the first trading session of 2026. The consumer products maker lagged a higher S&P 500 and Dow, and ended the day about 21% below its 52-week high. MarketWatch The underperformance matters because P&G is a heavyweight “defensive” stock — a steady, cash-generating name investors often lean on when growth looks shaky. When Treasury yields rise, those shares can lose some of their appeal as bond returns look more competitive. Reuters Focus
4 January 2026
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Why IREN stock jumped 13% to start 2026 — and what investors watch next

Why IREN stock jumped 13% to start 2026 — and what investors watch next

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 14:46 ET — Market closed IREN Limited shares surged about 13% on Friday, closing at $42.70 in the first trading session of 2026, as bitcoin recovered above the $90,000 mark and crypto-linked stocks bounced. Yahoo Finance The move matters because IREN trades as a high-beta proxy for two volatile themes: bitcoin mining and the push by some miners into AI-focused data centers. When bitcoin stabilizes and risk appetite improves, the group tends to move sharply. CoinDesk “The market is seeing a ‘buy the dip, sell the rip,’ trading mentality,” Joe Mazzola, head of trading &
4 January 2026
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Johnson & Johnson stock: $1.30 dividend declared as earnings date nears

Johnson & Johnson stock: $1.30 dividend declared as earnings date nears

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 14:49 ET — Market closed Johnson & Johnson on Friday declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.30 per share, payable March 10 to shareholders of record at the close of business on Feb. 24, the company said. The ex-dividend date — when shares begin trading without the right to that payout — is also Feb. 24. Jnj At Friday’s close, the payout implies an annual dividend yield of about 2.5%, keeping the healthcare bellwether in focus for income investors as U.S. trading resumes on Monday. Dividend schedules can influence near-term positioning when funds rebalance early-year
4 January 2026
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Western Digital stock jumps 9% to start 2026 — what WDC investors watch before Monday’s open

Western Digital stock jumps 9% to start 2026 — what WDC investors watch before Monday’s open

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 15:00 ET — Market closed Western Digital Corp (WDC) shares jumped 9% on Friday, the first trading day of 2026, closing at $187.70. The stock added about 0.7% after hours to $188.98. Wall Street Journal The surge keeps attention on data-storage hardware as investors look for “picks-and-shovels” exposure to the AI buildout in data centers. Zacks Equity Research flagged Western Digital as one of 2025’s top performers, citing upward revisions to earnings expectations tied to cloud demand. Nasdaq The timing matters because January brings a busy macro and earnings runway that can reset rate expectations
4 January 2026
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Vertiv (VRT) stock jumps on Barclays upgrade to $200 target — what investors watch next

Vertiv (VRT) stock jumps on Barclays upgrade to $200 target — what investors watch next

New York, Jan 4, 2026, 14:57 ET — Market closed Vertiv Holdings Co shares ended Friday up 8.4% at $175.61 after Barclays upgraded the data-center power and cooling supplier to Overweight and lifted its price target to $200. Barclays analyst Julian Mitchell said the bank sees “substantial upside potential” to consensus earnings estimates in 2026 and 2027. TipRanks The call matters now because investor positioning in data-center infrastructure has been swinging sharply with every new read on AI-related spending. With U.S. markets reopening on Monday, traders will test whether Friday’s analyst-driven pop pulls in fresh buyers or fades once the
4 January 2026
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Home Depot stock heads into Monday: jobs report, rate bets and key levels in focus

Home Depot stock heads into Monday: jobs report, rate bets and key levels in focus

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 14:51 ET — Market closed Home Depot (HD.N) shares ended Friday up 0.5% at $345.82, leaving the home-improvement retailer in focus heading into Monday’s open as investors line up for a busy week of U.S. economic data. (Yahoo Finance) Why it matters now is simple: Home Depot’s demand is closely tied to housing activity and consumer appetite for big-ticket projects, both of which can swing with borrowing costs. Fresh jobs and inflation readings can reshape expectations for interest rates — and that often feeds directly into mortgage rates. The stock also enters the week in
4 January 2026
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Virgin Galactic stock: Debt overhaul and dilution fears cloud 2026 profit hopes

Virgin Galactic stock: Debt overhaul and dilution fears cloud 2026 profit hopes

NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 14:50 ET Virgin Galactic’s bid to refinance debt and raise fresh capital is sharpening investor doubts about whether the company can post its first annual profit in 2026, as it remains grounded and burning cash. Analysts polled by S&P Global Market Intelligence expect Virgin Galactic to lose nearly $240 million in 2026, according to a Nasdaq-published column. Nasdaq Why it matters now: Virgin is funding development of its next-generation “Delta-class” spaceplanes and a new carrier aircraft while it has little revenue coming in. That leaves the company reliant on the capital markets to bridge the
4 January 2026
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India stock market open Jan 5: Oil shock risk meets Nifty record high — what to watch on Dalal Street

India stock market open Jan 5: Oil shock risk meets Nifty record high — what to watch on Dalal Street

MUMBAI, Jan 4, 2026, 14:40 ET — Market closed Oil is back in focus for Indian markets ahead of Monday’s open after Washington’s weekend moves in Venezuela revived supply worries and set the stage for a jump in crude when trading resumes.  Reuters That matters now because India imports most of its crude, and higher oil typically feeds into inflation expectations and weighs on the rupee, tightening conditions for equities. With benchmarks already at all-time highs, traders are likely to treat any oil-led risk-off swing as a direct test of this rally’s staying power. India’s Nifty 50 ended Friday up
4 January 2026
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Do We Need More Pylons? Countryfile reignites Britain’s grid upgrade fight as protests grow

Do We Need More Pylons? Countryfile reignites Britain’s grid upgrade fight as protests grow

LONDON, January 4, 2026, 14:45 ET BBC “Countryfile” presenter John Craven wrote on Friday that Britain faces “1000s” more electricity pylons as grid operators race to connect renewable power, stoking an increasingly public fight over new lines. The column said protests are growing around routes tied to the country’s push to expand electricity transmission. Countryfile The debate matters now because Britain is trying to move more electricity from offshore wind, solar and other low-carbon generation to homes and industry, while demand rises as heating and transport electrify. It also lands as government and grid operators look for quicker approvals for
4 January 2026
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Stock Market Today

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.
BP share price near 52-week high ahead of Feb 10 earnings as buyback runs on

BP share price near 52-week high ahead of Feb 10 earnings as buyback runs on

7 February 2026
BP shares closed up 1.9% at 478 pence Friday, just below a 52-week high, as the company continued buybacks ahead of next week’s results. BP repurchased 2.789 million shares on February 6. Oil prices firmed on geopolitical risk, with Brent at $68.05 a barrel, but sector outlook remains uncertain. Investors await BP’s earnings and dividend decision due Tuesday.
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