BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks turned in a mixed performance Wednesday morning with investors assessing Middle East news and hoping for a peace deal between the United States and Iran sometime soon.
Brent crude futures fell below $98 a barrel after reports emerged that some LNG tankers have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, helping ease supply concerns amid prolonged West Asia conflict.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a potential deal to end the Middle East conflict could 'take a few days' amid unresolved issues surrounding Tehran's frozen assets and unrestricted passage through Hormuz.
Iran condemned the recent self-defense strikes conducted by U.S. forces and said it would leave no act of aggression unanswered.
The benchmark FTSE 100 was up 18.94 points or 0.18% at 10,510.33 a little while ago.
JD Sports Fashion surged more than 6%. Marks & Spencer climbed 4.3%, while Mondi and Spirax Group gained 3.6% and 3.25%, respectively.
Barratt Redrow, IAG, Burberry Group, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Rolls-Royce Holdings, Persimmon, Howden Joinery Group and Croda International moved up 2%-3%.
Halma, Associated British Foods, HSBC Holdings, Tritax Big Box REIT, 3i Group, Endeavour Mining, Segro, Diageo, Convatec Group, Reckitt Benckiser, IMI, 3i Group, Weir Group and Unilever also posted notable gains.
Pets At Home shares jumped 6%. After reporting a steep fall in annual underlying pretax profit, the U.K. pet care retailer said its retail sales returned to growth in the fourth quarter.
The Sage Group drifted down 3.2%. BT Group, Metlen Energy & Metals, Centrica, Shell, LSEG, Tesco and IG Group Holdings shed 1.4%-2.3%.
Copyright(c) 2026 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2026 AFX News
