The FTSE 100 opened 18.66 points lower at 10,793 as rising oil prices and continued tensions in the Middle East weighed on investor sentiment. Brent crude futures rose 1.60% to USD 99.49 per barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) advanced 1.39% to USD 94.32 per barrel.
Sterling traded at USD 1.3351 on Wednesday morning, rising from USD 1.3548 at the time of the London equities close on Tuesday. Versus the euro, it remained steady at EUR 1.1643.
On the upside, Computacenter climbed 3.00% to 5,320p. Aberdeen Group advanced 2.10% to 252.80p, while BP gained 1.80% to 560p. SSE rose 1.50% to 2,430p, Centrica added 1.44% to 154.55p, and Reckitt Benckiser Group increased 1.35% to 5,114p.
On the downside, Lion Finance Group fell 1.39% to 13,510p. London Stock Exchange Group declined 1.10% to 8,620p, while Coca-Cola HBC dropped 1.00% to 4,544p. Games Workshop Group slipped 0.94% to 17,830p, Diploma lost 0.70% to 7,120p, and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners edged 0.51% lower to 7,830p.
Energean shares jumped over 4% in early trade after the company reported H1 earnings ahead of forecasts. Total revenue from production declined 8% to USD 743 million, and adjusted EBITDAX fell 5% to USD 478 million, though ahead of the USD 410 million estimate. A 29% rise in realised liquids prices lifted liquids revenue 14% to USD 267 million.
The company reported profit after tax of USD 160 million for the first half of 2026, up 45% from USD 110 million a year earlier, as free cash flow rose 35% to USD 250 million on lower capital expenditure.
Gym Group has doubled its profit in the first half of the year. The London-listed group posted a GBP 4.3 million pre-tax profit in the six months to June, improved by 48% on last year, as revenue jumped by 10% to GBP 133 million. Gym Group says Gen Zs are increasingly prioritising fitness in their spending.
Aberdeen Group names new chair as it moves to replace Douglas Flint following his move to insurer Prudential. The group has appointed Torbjörn Magnusson chairman of the board.
Magnusson joins after most recently serving as chief executive and President of insurer Sampo Group for six years before stepping down in 2025.
Jonathan Asquith, who has served as interim Chairman, said the new appointment has a “particularly strong track record of delivering growth and creating shareholder value over many years in businesses serving personal and corporate customers”.
Also Read: Stock Market Update: Nifty 50 Opened 0.48% Lower, Sensex Fell 361.36 Points
In US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 628.18 points, or 1.18%, to 52,786.07, while the S&P 500 was down by 0.58% to 7,673.52 and the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.32% to 26,421.41.
In Asia on Wednesday, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 fell 0.19% to 65,142.78, while China’s Shanghai Composite rose 0.33%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng declined 0.33%, and South Korea’s Kospi advanced 1.4%. In India, both the Nifty 50 and the Sensex fell by 0.65% and 0.69%, respectively.
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