UK & AU Stock Market Today: Live Updates 03.05.2026
LIVEMarkets rolling coverageStarted: May 3, 2026, 12:00 AM EDTUpdated: May 3, 2026, 6:59 AM EDT National
Fresnillo PLC Shares Rise as Silver Jump Puts Output Worries Back in Play
Fresnillo PLC shares closed at 3,255p in London, up 0.62% after a volatile week, as silver prices jumped 3% and gold edged higher. The miner’s first-quarter silver output fell 8.5% from the
SSE PLC Investors Get the 1.21 Billion Voting-Rights Number Before May Results
The U.S. will allow preferential duty access for UK-made whisky, lifting tariffs and boosting Diageo PLC ahead of its May 6 trading
St. James’s Place Buyback Puts Share Count in Focus After Asset Dip
St. James’s Place bought 249,168 shares for cancellation on April 30 after shareholders approved its buyback authority. The company paid an average
Weir Group PLC Shares Slide After CEO Shake-Up: Order Growth Becomes the Test
Weir Group shares fell 2.03% to £26.00 on Friday, extending losses after a trading update showed first-quarter organic orders down 3%, despite
Airtel Africa’s $2 Billion Airtel Money IPO Plan Puts London Listing Back in Play
Airtel Africa shares fell 0.39% in London after reports the company is preparing an IPO of its Airtel Money unit, aiming to
BAE Systems Faces £120 Million Lawsuit as Fresh Arms Sales Put Defence Giant in Spotlight
BAE Systems faces a £120 million legal claim in the UK High Court from Kenya’s EnComm Aviation over the withdrawal of support for Advanced Turbo-Prop aircraft used in African aid flights. EnComm alleges the move forced cancellation of humanitarian contracts and left its aircraft fleet nearly worthless. The case comes as BAE is named in new U.S.-backed arms sales to Qatar, Israel, and the UAE. BAE declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.
Rio Tinto plc’s Quiet Filing Lands at a Loud Moment for Mining Stocks
Rio Tinto plc issued 14,724 new ordinary shares under its employee share plan, raising total voting rights to 1,255,045,621 ahead of annual
British American Tobacco Share Count Moves Again as BAT Buyback, Dividend Draw Focus
British American Tobacco allotted 19,950 new ordinary shares in April under its Sharesave Scheme, bringing total voting shares to 2,169,936,467 as of
Beazley Plc Takeover: Zurich Builds Stake as £8.1 Billion Deal Hits Fine Print
Zurich Insurance Group increased its stake in Beazley Plc to 3.11% after buying 605,476 shares as its £8.1 billion takeover advances to
Legal & General Just Got FCA Approval To Nudge Pension Savers Out Of Cash
Legal & General Group has received FCA approval to deliver targeted support to workplace pension members, starting with those holding retirement pots
National Grid plc’s 585 km Grid Upgrade Could Cut £50 Million From UK Power Bottlenecks
National Grid will install dynamic line rating technology on 585 km of high-voltage lines in England and Wales, aiming to save consumers up to £50 million over five years. The rollout targets key north-to-south routes and is expected to finish by 2028. Britain’s system operator warns grid balancing costs could quadruple to £8 billion a year by 2030 without faster upgrades. Some sensors will be installed by drones on live lines.
London Stock Exchange Group plc’s Share Count Puts £3 Billion Buyback Back in Focus
London Stock Exchange Group set its total voting rights at 493,222,493, with issued share capital at 514,674,092 ordinary shares as of April 30. The company has bought back £1.1 billion of stock this year and aims for £3 billion by February 2027. LSEG shares closed at £96.24 on May 1, up 0.77% that day but down 16.8% over 52 weeks. The London Stock Exchange will close May 4–5 for the Early May bank holiday.
Diploma PLC Nears Year High Before May Results — The Margin Test Investors Can’t Ignore
Diploma PLC shares closed at 6,950p on May 1, near their year high and up 0.5%, ahead of half-year results due May 19. The company upgraded its 2026 organic revenue growth forecast to 9% in March and raised its margin outlook to 25%. Eight recent acquisitions are expected to add £20 million in annualised operating profit. The stock trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.8 with a 0.89% dividend yield.
Vodafone Shares Face Crucial Test After India Cuts Vi Dues, Buyback Rolls On
India reduced Vodafone Idea’s AGR dues to 640.46 billion rupees ($6.75 billion), down from 876.95 billion, the company said Thursday. Vodafone Group, which owns about 16% of Vodafone Idea, continued share buybacks this week and reported 23.05 billion voting rights as of April 30. Investors await Vodafone’s annual results on May 12.
BT Group’s Landline Switch Hits Its Toughest Test Before January 2027
BT’s digital landline switchover faces criticism as 3.2 million UK homes remain on the old network, with rural and vulnerable users citing safety risks ahead of the January 2027 deadline. Ofcom is investigating BT over possible incomplete data submissions. BT shares closed at 216.75 pence on Friday, up 17.77% in 2026.
Standard Chartered Stock: Buyback Keeps Focus on Record Q1 Profit and Iran Risk
Standard Chartered bought 558,759 shares for cancellation on May 1, paying an average 1,852 pence each. The move followed record first-quarter operating income of $5.9 billion, up 9%, and profit before tax of $2.5 billion. The bank booked a $190 million management overlay tied to Middle East conflict. Shares closed Friday at 1,877 pence, up 0.76%.
Wise PLC Class A Stock Heads for Nasdaq Switch After New Voting-Rights Filing
Wise PLC Class A shares will trade for the last time on May 8 before Wise Group Class A shares begin trading in London and on Nasdaq on May 11. The company reported £49.4 billion in Q4 cross-border volume, up 26% year-on-year, and 11.3 million active customers. Wise’s market cap stood near £10.84 billion as of May 1. U.S. tax and regulatory risks remain flagged for shareholders.
RELX PLC Stock: Dividend Deadline Looms as Buybacks Shrink Voting Rights
RELX PLC reported 1,780,530,214 voting rights as of April 30, down about 12.7 million from March, with treasury shares rising by 12.8 million. The company’s £350 million buyback runs through May 22, part of a £2.25 billion plan. Shares go ex-dividend May 7, with a final 2025 dividend of 48.0p. RELX closed Friday at 2,698p, valuing the group at £47.94 billion.
IMI plc Stock Slides Despite £500m Buyback as May 12 Update Looms
IMI plc shares closed down 2.01% at 2,736 pence on Friday, underperforming the FTSE 100 despite a new buyback notice. The company bought 104,734 shares for cancellation on April 30 as part of its £500 million buyback program. IMI’s annual meeting and first-quarter update are set for May 12. Trading volumes were thin ahead of the UK bank holiday.
Reckitt Benckiser Buyback Puts Share Count in Focus After Bruising Q1
Reckitt Benckiser reported a shareholder voting base of 640,814,501 after buying back 185,000 shares for about £8.65 million on April 30, holding 33.6 million shares in treasury. Core like-for-like net revenue rose 1.3% in Q1, with Emerging Markets up 7.6%, Europe down 4.2%, and North America down 0.9%. The stock last traded at 4,713 pence on May 1, up 0.75%.
Glencore plc’s 19% Copper Jump Is Only Half the Story as Trading Profits Build
Russell & Bromley has cut 332 jobs after entering administration, closing all 33 stores and nine concessions not acquired by Next. Next paid £2.5 million for the brand and intellectual property in January, transferring only three stores. The retailer had about 440 employees before the collapse. Most affected staff are being assisted with redundancy claims.
Why Anglo American plc’s latest filing puts its $53 billion Teck deal back in focus
Anglo American confirmed 1,178,050,272 ordinary shares in its latest voting-rights filing ahead of its planned merger with Teck Resources. The company reported a 1% rise in copper output and a 31% drop in steelmaking coal for Q1. Chinese antitrust approval remains the last major hurdle for the merger, expected to close between September 2026 and March 2027. Anglo’s shares closed at 3,590 pence on Friday, up 0.10%.
GSK Wins UK Approval for Lynavoy — But Investors Still Want the Bigger Growth Story
Britain’s MHRA approved GSK’s Lynavoy for itching in adults with primary biliary cholangitis, following U.S. clearance in March. The decision comes days after GSK shares fell on investor concerns over first-quarter earnings quality. The approval triggers a $20 million payment in GSK’s licensing deal with Alfasigma, part of an agreement worth up to $690 million.
Halma plc Stock Nears Record High as Deals Put HLMA Back in the Spotlight
Halma shares climbed 2.72% to 4,527p on Friday, nearing a record high and outperforming a weaker FTSE 100. Cardioline said it acquired Cardios from Halma, while Halma recently bought California-based Surgistar for $90 million. Investors await Halma’s June 11 results after guidance for mid-teens organic revenue growth and a 22% adjusted EBIT margin. Financial terms of the Cardios sale were not disclosed.
Australia Stock Market This Week: ASX 200 Rebounds, But Rate Fears Keep the Week in the Red
The S&P/ASX 200 closed Friday up 0.74% at 8,729.8 but ended the week down 0.7%, as miners rallied and banks fell. Australian inflation rose to 4.6% in March, up from 3.7% in February, driven by a 32.8% surge in fuel prices. Thirty of 33 economists in a Reuters poll expect the Reserve Bank to raise rates to 4.35% at its May 5 meeting. Coles and Woolworths both reported higher sales for the quarter.
UK Stock Market Today: FTSE 100 Slips As BP, Shell And AstraZeneca Drag London Shares Lower
London’s FTSE 100 closed down 0.1% at 10,363.93 on Friday, marking a third consecutive weekly loss. AstraZeneca shares fell after a U.S. FDA panel voted against its breast cancer drug candidate. NatWest also dragged the index despite higher profits, as investors focused on economic risks and a large impairment charge. Brent crude dropped to $108.86 a barrel amid reports of a new Iranian peace proposal.
Shell Plc’s $15 Billion LNG Canada Prize Draws Wall Street Bidders After Export Record
LNG Canada exported over 1 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas in April, its first month above that level. Apollo, Blackstone, and KKR are bidding for a Shell stake in the project, with offers expected to exceed $10 billion. Shell agreed April 27 to buy ARC Resources, adding 370,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day to its portfolio. All April LNG Canada cargoes went to Asia, mostly South Korea and China.
Barclays PLC’s $800 Million Best Egg Deal Lands as Credit Risk Clouds U.S. Lending Push
Barclays PLC has completed its $800 million acquisition of U.S. online lender Best Egg, folding it into Barclays Bank Delaware while keeping the brand. The deal closed May 1, days after Barclays reported a £228 million impairment tied to Market Financial Solutions and announced a £500 million share buyback, below analyst expectations. Barclays shares closed at 433.75 pence in London on May 1, up 0.53%.
Imperial Brands PLC Buyback Deepens Before May 12 Results Test
Imperial Brands bought 220,000 shares for cancellation on May 1, spending about £6.2 million as part of its £1.45 billion buyback. The move comes ahead of first-half results due May 12, with the stock closing Friday at 2,816.5 pence, up 0.55%. Shares remain below their April 13 level after warnings of market share losses. UBS downgraded the stock to “neutral” following the update.
NatWest Profit Jump Fails to Stop Share Slide as Iran War Provision Clouds Outlook
NatWest Group reported a 12.2% rise in first-quarter operating profit before tax to £2.03 billion, but shares fell 3.35% to 565.60 pence. The bank booked £283 million in impairment losses, with about £140 million tied to economic risks from the Iran war. Total income rose 9.5% to £4.36 billion, while non-interest income dropped 10.5% to £829 million.
NAB Share Price Near $40: The Monday Result That Could Decide The Dividend Trade
National Australia Bank will report first-half earnings on May 4, with investors watching a stock near A$40 amid higher bad-loan charges and a capital raising plan. NAB expects A$706 million in credit impairment charges and a A$1.35 billion pre-tax software amortisation. The results come one day before a widely expected Reserve Bank rate hike. NAB closed May 1 at A$39.83, down 0.13%.
Rolls-Royce Shares Rise as Profit Forecast Survives Middle East Shock
Rolls-Royce shares closed up 1.46% at 1,199.20 pence Friday after the company reaffirmed its 2026 profit and cash flow targets. Engine flying hours in the Middle East recovered to pre-conflict levels following earlier disruption from the Iran war. The stock outperformed the FTSE 100, which slipped 0.14%. Investors remain alert to risks from higher fuel costs and airline capacity cuts.
HSBC Earnings Loom: Dividend Decision and Asia Growth Put Bank Rally to Test
HSBC will report first-quarter earnings on Tuesday, with investors focused on a possible interim dividend and the bank’s ability to sustain recent share gains. Shares closed Friday at 1,359.40 pence. Two senior executives acquired shares through automatic dividend reinvestment, according to a Friday filing. Peer banks NatWest and Standard Chartered posted profit gains but took impairment charges linked to the Middle East conflict.
Unilever PLC Price Hikes Are Back: Dove Maker Beats Forecasts, Then Flags Cost Squeeze
Unilever reported first-quarter underlying sales growth of 3.8%, beating forecasts as volume rose 2.9%. The company plans selective price increases in the second half of 2026 due to higher costs linked to the Iran war, with inflation now expected at up to 900 million euros for the year. Shares rose 2.56% on Friday. Finance chief Srinivas Phatak said price hikes could reach 3% if cost pressures persist.
BP Could Quit the North Sea in £2 Billion Reset as New CEO Cuts Debt
BP is considering selling part or all of its UK North Sea operations, a deal that could raise about £2 billion, Bloomberg reported Friday. The review includes major assets such as BP’s 45% stake in the Clair oilfield. BP shares closed down just over 2% following the news. The company’s net debt stood at $25.3 billion at the end of Q1.