Economic news

London Stocks Slip after US-Iran Talks Falter, Uncertainty Lingers

April 13 (Reuters) - London's stock indexes fell on Monday after the ‌U.S. moved to blockade Iranian shipping following the collapse of the weekend peace talks that dimmed hopes of a swift end to the Middle ​East conflict.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index fell 0.4% to ​10,558.38 points by 0944 GMT, while the midcap FTSE ⁠250 slipped 0.8%.

  • London markets were swept up in a risk-off ​stance globally as failed U.S.-Iran talks pushed up oil prices ​to more than $100 a barrel again.

  • The two indexes had logged gains last week after a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, though the ​fragile truce showed signs of strain as fighting continued.

  • Heavyweight banks ​came under pressure on Monday, with HSBC and Barclays leading the declines, ‌down ⁠1.1% and 1.3%, respectively.

  • Energy stocks gained, with Shell and BP rising about 1.8% each.

  • Travel and leisure stocks declined as oil prices jumped. Cruise operator Carnival was down 3.9%, while airlines also ​inched lower.

  • EasyJet and ​Wizz Air ⁠fell 4.3% and 7.3%, respectively. Bernstein downgraded Wizz to "market-perform" from "outperform".

  • A report said Finance Minister Rachel ​Reeves would set out her approach to help businesses ​struggling with ⁠higher energy prices later this week, in the wake of the Middle East conflict.

  • Homebuilder Vistry appointed insider Adam Daniels as CEO, but ⁠its ​shares fell 4.9% amid broader market ​declines.

  • Wise advanced 5.3% after the fintech group reported a 26% jump in fourth-quarter cross-border ​transaction volume.

Reporting by Purvi Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar

Source: Reuters


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