The blue-chip FTSE 100 index fell 0.56% to 10,728.90 points by 10:10 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 slipped 0.8% to its lowest since August 4
International News via Reuters:
London’s mid-cap stocks slipped to nearly a one-month low on Wednesday, extending losses as UK’s bond yields hit 18-year highs on renewed inflation fears after U.S. and Iran exchanged fresh strikes in the Middle East.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index fell 0.56% to 10,728.90 points by 10:10 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 slipped 0.8% to its lowest since August 4.
• The yield on UK’s 10-year gilt rose to its highest since June 2008, tracking a sell-off in global bonds.
• “This rise in yields, which will eat directly into the government’s fiscal headroom, raises the risk of tax hikes in the autumn, even before accounting for any additional spending increases that Burnham seems likely to pursue,” said Matthew Ryan, head of market strategy at Ebury.
• Oil prices traded near $95 a barrel at more than a one-month high following renewed hostilities in the Gulf region between U.S. and Iran. [O/R]
• Industrial metal miners dropped 1.2%, as copper and zinc prices were pressured by a stronger dollar.
• Rio Tinto and Glencore slipped 1.3% and 1%, respectively.
• Media shares led sectoral losses, slipping 2% with advertising group WPP down 2.8%.
• Britain’s economy is set to grow a bit faster than previously expected in 2026 after withstanding the initial impact of the Iran war but firms remain wary about investment, the British Chambers of Commerce said on Tuesday.
• Among the top decliners, education company Pearson fell 2.5% after brokerage Citigroup cut to “neutral” from “buy”.
• Limiting losses, heavyweight banks gained 0.3%.
Reporting by Anand Gopal and Utkarsh Hathi in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee
