FTSE 100 Live: Index Declines 65 Points at 10,464 Amid Growing Tensions in Middle East

The FTSE 100 opened 65 points lower at 10,464 amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran that pushed oil prices higher, while weak Chinese growth data added to investor caution. Meanwhile, Brent crude futures rose 1.64% to $86.12 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) advanced 1.66% to $80.66 a barrel.

Sterling was quoted at $1.3405 early Wednesday, higher than $1.3396 at the London equities close on Tuesday. Against the euro, sterling rose to €1.1715 from €1.1709 a day prior.

Gainers & Losers 

On the upside, Barratt Redrow rose 3.06% to £286.70, while ICG advanced 2.24% to £1,830. Burberry Group gained 1.64% to £1,086.50, and Smith & Nephew jumped 1.21% to £1,127.50. Persimmon added 1.14% to £1,064.50, while Polar Capital Technology Trust climbed 0.82% to £675.

On the downside, Lion Finance Group declined 1.40% to £11,290, while Games Workshop Group slipped 0.59% to £20,220. Antofagasta fell 2.91% to £3,731, and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners edged lower by 1.20% to £7,820. Endeavour Mining dropped 2.58% to £3,510, while Fresnillo eased 3.39% to £2,507.

China’s Economy Increased

China’s economy grew 4.3% year-on-year in the second quarter, its weakest pace since the fourth quarter of 2022, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics. 

The figure missed a Reuters poll forecast of 4.5% and slowed from 5% growth in the first quarter, coming in below Beijing’s full-year target range of 4.5% to 5%.

B&M First Quarter Sales Rose

B&M European Value Retail has reported first-quarter sales growth of 2%. The discount retailer said revenue rose to £1.43 billion in the 13 weeks to 27 June from a year earlier. 

Revenue at B&M UK increased 0.3% to £1.14 billion, although like-for-like sales, which measure performance at stores open for at least 14 months, fell 2.3%. 

Rising Costs Put Pressure on Antofagasta

Falling production and rising operational costs have put pressure on Antofagasta, year-to-date copper production declined 9.5% compared to the previous year to 285,000 tonnes.

Maintenance work at Los Pelambres also strangled the production of by-product Molybdenum, which fell 18% to 6,100 tonnes.

Gold production increased 1.8% to 92,800 ounces after higher output at Centinela. Raw production costs rose 22.8% to $2.8 per pound.

Also Read: US Stock Market Today: S&P 500 Rises as June Inflation Cools and Strong Bank Earnings Lift Stocks

Barratt Redrow Bets on Buybacks

Barratt Redrow pledged to return £400 million to shareholders after deciding buybacks represent better value than paying larger cash dividends. 

The group completed 17,667 home sales in the year to 28 June, at the top end of its guidance range and up from 16,826 a year earlier. 

There was net cash of £772 million at year-end, well ahead of the £550-£650 million range it guided to in April, helped by lower land spending and delayed building safety remediation payments. 

Global Market View

In US, the Nasdaq climbed 0.9% as semiconductor stocks rallied, while the S&P 500 added 0.4% and the Dow Jones edged up just 10 points, held back by a record fall in IBM.

In Asia on Tuesday, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 1.49% to 68,751.51, while China’s Shanghai Composite fell 0.29%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 1.24%, and South Korea’s Kospi advanced 6.24%. In India, Nifty 50 declined by 0.02% and Sensex rose 0.04%, respectively.