Economic news

London Shares Slip as Oil Drives Yields Ahead of BoE

Sept 15 (Reuters) - London shares slipped on Tuesday, hovering around two-month lows, as rising oil prices prompted a fresh rise in bond yields, ​while investors assessed domestic economic data ahead of a Bank of ‌England monetary policy meeting later this week.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index fell 0.4% to 10,658.13 points, while the midcap FTSE 250 slipped 0.1% to 23,818.74 points.

  • Oil prices , rose ​2% after attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure raised supply concerns, in ​turn lifting shares of Shell and BP.

  • Major banks, investment banks and ⁠brokerages were the top fallers with HSBC down 2.2% and Barclays 1.7% ​lower.

  • U.S. banks came under pressure for a second day after Bank of America said on Monday he expects investment banking fees to drop by at least 10% in the third quarter, and sales and trading revenue to be flat.

  • Global bond ​yields soared, with the UK 30-year gilt yield touching its highest since 1998 ​at 5.40%, as investors bet that rising oil prices could prompt central bank interest rate ‌rises.

  • A ⁠report said that the BoE is poised to announce this week that it will stop selling 20- and 30-year gilts, potentially freeing up some cash for finance minister John Healey.

  • Britain's jobs market stayed weak in the third quarter, while ​a separate report showed ​grocery price inflation ⁠increased to 2.3% over the four weeks to September 6. Official data on inflation is due on Wednesday.

  • Traders see ​the BoE leaving interest rates unchanged at its monetary ​policy meeting, ⁠but still see rates rising by at least 48 basis points by year-end, LSEG-compiled data showed.

  • Wickes Group gained 8.3% after the home improvement retailer reported strong third-quarter ⁠trading, ​driven by mid-single-digit growth in retail like-for-like revenue.

  • Online ​reviews platform Trustpilot's shares plummeted 18.6% as its decision to leave its earnings outlook unchanged disappointed investors.

Reporting ​by Anand Gopal and Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; Editing by Alexander Smith

Source: Reuters


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