The FTSE 100 opened 22.37 points lower at 10,840.13 as Middle East concerns continued to weigh on sentiment and send oil higher. Brent crude futures rose 1.78% to $89.28 per barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 1.85% to $83.65 per barrel.
Sterling fell to $1.3511 on Tuesday from $1.3522 in the previous session. Against the euro, it fell to €1.1702 from €1.1708.
On the upside, BP climbed 1.62% to 533.10p. Lion Finance Group advanced 1.28% to 12,660p, while Shell gained 1.21% to 3,338p. Babcock International Group rose 1.13% to 1,204p, IG Group Holdings added 1.10% to 1,375p, and Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust gained 1.00% to 1,418.50p.
On the downside, Spirax Group plunged 9.61% to 6,915p. IMI declined 1.46% to 3,096p, while Diploma slipped 0.66% to 7,530p. Next fell 0.64% to 15,530p, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners dropped 0.57% to 7,815p, and AstraZeneca edged 0.47% lower to 11,934p.
Seeing Machines has shifted into profitability following a boost from high-margin royalties and new European safety legislation.
The group, which builds camera and AI software, reported a 45% jump in revenue to $76.3 million, up from $52.8 million.
In the second half of the year, revenue surged 128%. This came from a 135 year-on-year jump in royalties revenue to $33.9 million after global car manufacturers rapidly scaled up integration of Seeing Machines’ systems in light of new European legislation.
The firm expects earnings before tax to come between $10.7 million and $11.7 million for the second half, a swing from a $13.7 million loss in the first half. It expects to close the fiscal year with $4.3 million in cash.
Heathrow said it recorded its busiest day of the year so far despite a slight fall in overall passengers compared to the same time last year.
UK’s busiest airport said 7.85 million passengers had passed through the hub through July, down 1.5% on last year. The airport marked its busiest day of 2026 on the 19th July as 267,000 passengers flew through the airport.
“Expanding Heathrow will help ensure the UK remains home to Europe’s leading hub and continues to benefit from the trade, investment and tourism that increased connectivity will bring,” said Thomas Woldbye, chief executive.
Funding Circle has landed a £500 million funding commitment from investment manager Castlelake. The finance platform revealed Castlelake had joined its backers, which the firm says reflects the performance of its technology, data and credit expertise.
“This agreement further expands our deep and diverse funding base and means we can say yes to even more small businesses, putting vital funding to work to support the real economy and drive economic growth across the UK,” Dipesh Mehta, chief capital officer at Funding Circle, said.
Also Read: S&P 500 Holds Near Record High as Oil Gains and Technology Stocks Fall
In the US, the Nasdaq led stocks lower at Monday's close, down 0.3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.1%, and the S&P 500 dropped 4 points.
In Asia on Tuesday, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 2.08% to 66,970.22, while China’s Shanghai Composite dipped 0.82%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng declined 0.97%, and South Korea’s Kospi edged higher by 0.73%. In India, both the Nifty 50 and the Sensex fell by 0.54% and 0.46%, respectively.
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