FTSE 100 news / Companies and sectors / NatWest Group
NatWest Group news analysis
NatWest Group (LSE: NWG) is in the FTSE 100. 21 of the last 21 days had relevant coverage.
Latest: Tuesday 20 October 2026
+7.0 from 13 relevant stories. Coverage focused on Robert Begbie's appointment to lead the bank in its 300th anniversary year, alongside other senior leadership changes. A Barclays upgrade to Overweight with an 850p target and a new West Midlands accelerator cluster added to the positive tone.
Tone over time
Coverage of NatWest Group improved between 30 September 2026 and 20 October 2026
Daily news tone, from −10 (clearly bad) to +10 (clearly good). Gaps are days with no relevant stories.
Tone rose 75% from 4 to 7 between 30 Sep and 20 Oct. Its low was −6 in 2 Oct.
- 11
- 22
- 33
Every plotted day had 3 or more relevant stories. Numbered markers are the days with the strongest single headline (key below). This is the tone of coverage, not a share price.Source: MarketFrame news analysis
| day | Tone |
|---|---|
| 30 Sep | 4 |
| 1 Oct | 4 |
| 2 Oct | −6 |
| 3 Oct | 3 |
| 4 Oct | −5 |
| 5 Oct | −3 |
| 6 Oct | 1 |
| 7 Oct | 4 |
| 8 Oct | 4 |
| 9 Oct | −4 |
| 10 Oct | −2 |
| 11 Oct | 0 |
| 12 Oct | 3 |
| 13 Oct | −1 |
| 14 Oct | 10 |
| 15 Oct | 5 |
| 16 Oct | 6 |
| 17 Oct | −5 |
| 18 Oct | 1 |
| 19 Oct | 1 |
| 20 Oct | 7 |
Day by day
| Day | Tone | Stories | What the coverage was about |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 20 October 2026 | +7.0 | 13 | Coverage focused on Robert Begbie's appointment to lead the bank in its 300th anniversary year, alongside other senior leadership changes. |
| Monday 19 October 2026 | +1.2 | 7 | Coverage was mostly minor: regional business surveys and customer service updates were mildly positive, while the NatWest Markets overseas exit and a student customer warning weighed slightly. |
| Sunday 18 October 2026 | +1.2 | 4 | Coverage was mixed: expectations of bumper bank earnings and a $1 billion notes announcement were offset by an analyst view that the margin for error is lower than expected and a warning about an email scam impersonating the bank. |
| Saturday 17 October 2026 | −4.7 | 29 | Coverage was dominated by reports of a possible bank tax in the 28 October budget, which pushed UK bank shares, including NatWest, lower. |
| Friday 16 October 2026 | +5.5 | 18 | Coverage was mostly positive, led by a Barclays upgrade to Overweight and favourable reads of the Chancellor's remarks for NatWest shares, plus a successful dollar bond issue. |
| Thursday 15 October 2026 | +4.5 | 29 | Coverage was mainly positive, led by the Nvidia AI speech partnership and Barclays raising its price target for the shares. |
| Wednesday 14 October 2026 | +10.0 | 13 | Coverage centred on Barclays upgrading NatWest to Overweight with an 850p price target, with shares reported up around 3%. |
| Tuesday 13 October 2026 | −0.5 | 8 | Coverage was mixed: branches were named among the worst for customer satisfaction, while a historic Northampton branch reopened after a £400,000 refit. |
| Monday 12 October 2026 | +2.8 | 4 | Coverage was mostly about customer-facing news, including a million accounts being taken over by NatWest and an announcement for female customers. |
| Sunday 11 October 2026 | −0.3 | 5 | Coverage centred on NatWest pulling back from US and EU bond dealing to focus on the UK, alongside changes to its Reward accounts. |
| Saturday 10 October 2026 | −2.3 | 8 | Coverage was mostly about scam warnings to NatWest customers and unexpected cuts at NatWest Markets, which leaned negative. |
| Friday 9 October 2026 | −4.2 | 18 | Coverage was dominated by reports that NatWest is pulling back from US and European government bond dealing, alongside trader job cuts and a share price fall. |
| Thursday 8 October 2026 | +4.0 | 11 | Coverage was mostly positive, centring on NatWest's mid-market report, the national roll-out of its She Scales initiative and a returning community banking hub in Wilmslow. |
| Wednesday 7 October 2026 | +4.0 | 22 | Coverage was mainly about NatWest being named among six banks for the UK's digital gilt pilot, plus Citi naming it a top European bank pick. |
| Tuesday 6 October 2026 | +1.3 | 16 | Coverage was mixed: directors' share purchases, the Sainsbury's Money loans tie-up and the NatWest Accelerator expansion were positive. |
| Monday 5 October 2026 | −3.2 | 3 | Coverage centred on fears of a tax rise on banks, with the Chancellor summoning bank bosses and Cabinet ministers warning against it. |
| Sunday 4 October 2026 | −4.5 | 4 | Coverage was mainly about the Chancellor summoning bank chiefs before the Budget amid fears of a bank tax, with cabinet ministers warning against it. |
| Saturday 3 October 2026 | +3.3 | 9 | Coverage was mildly positive, with NatWest shares rising and the ongoing share buyback continuing. |
| Friday 2 October 2026 | −5.5 | 21 | NatWest shares fell around 4-5% as UK banks slid on rising gilt yields and budget worries, with the Chancellor summoning bank chiefs to a pre-budget summit. |
| Thursday 1 October 2026 | +3.7 | 10 | Coverage was mostly positive, led by NatWest being named best FX bank for G10 currencies and a £12.9m student housing loan. |
| Wednesday 30 September 2026 | +4.0 | 19 | Coverage was mostly about NatWest lending, including £246m for Housing Plus Group and a £30m West Midlands investment, alongside an industry-first trial and an analyst target price. |
Sector: Banks