BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks fell on Thursday, snapping an eight-session winning streak, as the mood turned a bit bearish amid concerns over escalating tensions in the Middle East following fresh strikes by the U.S. on Iranian targets, and retaliatory action by Tehran.
Also, higher oil prices stoked inflation concerns, raising the possibility of interest rate hikes by major central banks. Brent crude futures climbed to $95.98 a barrel before easing to around $94.00, still up nearly 2% from previous close.
The benchmark FTSE 100 was down 91.91 points or 0.88% at 10,413.10 about half an hour before noon.
BT Group fell 4.65% after reports emerged that the British government would oppose any attempt from Sunil Bharti Mittal to raise his stake in the telecoms company beyond 25%.
Kingfisher, Fresnillo, JD Sports Fashion, Severn Trent, AutoTrader Group, National Grid, Associated British Foods, Informa, Entain, Endeavour Mining, Intertek Group, AstraZeneca and DCC shed 2%-4%.
SSE slid about 1.7% after reporting a 5% fall in adjusted earnings per share for the year ended March 31, 2026.
Prudential, Weir Group, Convatec Group, M&G, Standard Chartered, Reckitt Benckiser, British American Tobacco, HSBC Holdings and Marks & Spencer also drifted notably lower.
Babcock International moved up 2.7%, BAE Systeme gained 2.5%, and Compass Group climbed 2.2%. Vodafone Group, Melrose Industries, ICG, Rolls-Royce Holdings, Lion Finance, Shell and F&C Investment Trust posted modest gains.
Data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited (SMMT) showed UK car production dropped 0.7% year-on-year to a four-month low of 56,135 units in April, following a 0.8% decline in the previous month.
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