LONDON, February 7, 2026, 08:48 GMT — Market closed
- Lloyds shares closed up Friday, bouncing back from Thursday’s steep slide as UK rate-cut bets moved.
- The bank reported new share buybacks on Feb. 5 and Feb. 6, adding that it intends to cancel the stock.
- Next up for traders: the Bank of England’s decision landing March 19, with Lloyds’ annual report slated for February 18.
Lloyds Banking Group shares ticked up on Friday. The lender announced plans for another share buyback, which helped stabilize the stock following a choppy two-day stretch as markets responded to changing UK rate forecasts.
London’s markets are shut for the weekend, so attention turns to Monday’s open to see if expectations for rate cuts continue to take some weight off bank earnings.
Lloyds, with its UK-centric lending business, often serves as a barometer for domestic growth, mortgages, and whatever direction the Bank Rate takes. The shares usually move fast whenever traders shift their outlook on borrowing costs. 1
This all comes back to margins. When rates drop, net interest margin—the difference between what a bank collects from loans and shells out for deposits—can get pinched, even if lower mortgage costs eventually help stoke demand.
Lloyds ended Friday up 0.9% at 106.75 pence, after roughly 121 million shares changed hands. That move comes a day after the stock slumped 5.6%. 2
UK banks gave the FTSE 100 a boost Friday, as shares in Lloyds, NatWest, and Barclays moved higher. Lenders’ gains more than covered declines in other sectors, leaving the index to close the week up. 3
Lloyds disclosed late Friday that it repurchased 10 million ordinary shares, paying between 106.40 pence and 107.25 pence apiece. The volume-weighted average price landed at 106.9323 pence. A VWAP reflects the average price paid, factoring in the size of each trade. 4
Lloyds snapped up 7 million shares a day earlier, according to an SEC filing, paying somewhere between 105.60 pence and 109.25 pence per share. The average price landed at 106.8555 pence. The bank plans to cancel all the shares, trimming the total outstanding. 5
In the same filing channel, fresh disclosures on director and senior manager activity surfaced. Lloyds flagged a Sharesave exercise involving Elyn Corfield. Sharon Doherty offloaded 3,204,797 shares at 112.642 pence per share, according to the update. “PDMR” here refers to a person discharging managerial responsibilities. 6
Lloyds watchers paying attention to housing data took note as Halifax reported a 0.7% bump in UK house prices for January, rebounding after December’s 0.5% drop. “Affordability remains a challenge for many would-be buyers,” said Amanda Bryden, who runs Halifax’s mortgage unit. She flagged easing inflation as giving some hope for cheaper mortgages down the line. 7
The macro picture remains the main driver. On Feb. 5, the Bank of England kept rates steady at 3.75% after a tight 5-4 split and hinted at further cuts should inflation’s drop hold up. “It’s merely a matter of timing,” Ebury’s Matthew Ryan said. He called March “live” but leaned toward April for the first move. 8
Investors now see Bank Rate dropping to 3.0% by the March 2027 meeting, according to a BoE survey out Friday. It sits at 3.75% currently. Markets are factoring in another two quarter-point cuts over 2026, Reuters said, but aren’t betting on rates hitting 3.0% just yet. 9
The risk scenario is straightforward enough. Should inflation stick around longer than expected, policymakers may resist early rate-cut expectations, forcing another shake-up in the rates curve—a move that’s sparked volatility in bank shares before. Huw Pill, Bank of England chief economist, cautioned that a short-term drop in inflation, especially if it’s just “one-off factors,” shouldn’t lull anyone into a false sense of security. 10
Traders have circled March 19 for the Bank of England’s next rate announcement. The following big event: the Monetary Policy Report, set for April 30. 11
Lloyds has also flagged Wednesday, February 18 as the date for its 2025 annual report. That’s now circled on investor calendars. In the meantime, eyes will be on any fresh buyback news and interest rate clues, right up to the Feb. 9 Monday session. 12
