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FTSE 100 falls as Iran war lifts inflation fears

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FTSE 100 falls as Iran war lifts inflation fears



Stock prices in London closed lower on Wednesday as uncertainty around the length of the war in the Middle East persisted and fears of higher inflation loomed.

The FTSE 100 index closed down 58.47 points, 0.6%, at 10,353.77. The FTSE 250 ended down 110.93 points, 0.5%, at 22,381.34, and the AIM all-share closed down 5.19 points, 0.7%, at 773.61.

In European equities on Wednesday, the Cac 40 in Paris closed down 0.2%, while the Dax 40 in Frankfurt ended 1.4% lower.

The pound fell to 1.3410 US dollars on Wednesday afternoon from 1.3458 at the equities close on Tuesday. The euro stood lower at 1.1571 dollars from 1.1648.

Stocks came under pressure on Wednesday as Iran continued to target energy infrastructure and shipping in the conflict with the US and Israel.

The US warned Iranians that it considers civilian ports in the Strait of Hormuz to be legitimate targets, alleging the Tehran government was using the facilities for military operations.

“The Iranian regime is using civilian ports along the Strait of Hormuz to conduct military operations that threaten international shipping,” the US military said in a statement.

“Civilian ports used for military purposes lose protected status and become legitimate military targets under international law.”

Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency said its member countries would unlock 400 million barrels of oil from their reserves – the biggest such release ever – to ease the impact of the Middle East war.

“The oil market challenges we are facing are unprecedented in scale, therefore I am very glad that IEA member countries have responded with an emergency collective action of unprecedented size,” IEA executive director Fatih Birol said in a statement.

Brent oil was higher at 91.93 dollars a barrel on Wednesday afternoon from 87.92 late Tuesday.

Oil majors climbed on the FTSE 100 as Shell shares rose 2.0% and BP was up 2.9% and led the blue-chip index.

Stocks in New York were lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.8%, the S&P 500 index was 0.2% lower, and the Nasdaq Composite fell slightly.

The yield on the US 10-year Treasury widened to 4.21% on Wednesday from 4.11% on Tuesday. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury stretched to 4.85% from 4.75%.

Analysts said US inflation “remains too firm” for the Federal Reserve to provide more support to the labour market, as consumer price inflation was steady in February, though this is likely to change later in the year.

The Bureau of Labour Statistics said consumer prices grew 2.4% on-year last month, in line with expectations cited by FXStreet, and matching January’s increase.

Back in London, Legal & General shares fell the most on the FTSE 100 and were down 6.8%.

Mixed results took the shine off a record share buyback and showed there remains “more work to do”, analysts said.

The London-based insurer and asset manager said core operating profit rose 5.9% to £1.62 billion in 2025 from £1.53 billion in 2024, below £1.65 billion Visible Alpha consensus.

RBC Capital Markets said the miss was driven by a mix of weaker Institutional Retirement and Asset Management business, as well as slightly higher group debt costs.

The broker said the Asset Management miss is “particularly surprising” given the increase in consensus estimates in company complied consensus between December and March.

Solvency II net surplus generation rose to £1.26 billion from £1.20 billion, which JPMorgan said was 2% below consensus on an adjusted basis.

RBC said although core operating profit was only “marginally weaker” than expectations, Solvency II was a “significant” miss, while further asset write-downs in Asset Management contributed to a net income miss.

More positively, L&G said it will begin a £1.2 billion share buyback programme this week, the largest in its history and ahead of £1.1 billion consensus, as part of plans to return around £P2.4 billion to shareholders over the next year.

On the FTSE 250 index, Balfour Beatty led the way as shares jumped 8.9%.

The construction firm said its long-term outlook remained positive amid “strong visibility” from its order book, as it recommended a higher dividend amid a statutory pretax profit jump.

Balfour Beatty said pretax profit surged 51% to £323 million in 2025 from £214 million in 2024.

The company recommended a final dividend per share of 9.8 pence for 2025, up 13% from 8.7p in 2024. This would bring the total payout for 2025 to 14p, up 12% from 12.5p.

Hochschild Mining sank 7.2% after it reported significant revenue and profit growth for last year, as its increased dividend was lower than markets had expected.

The London-based gold and silver miner – which has projects in Argentina, Brazil and Peru – said revenue rose 25% to 1.18 billion dollars in 2025, from 947.7 million dollars in 2024.

Hochschild declared a final dividend of 5.00 US cents, more than doubled from 1.94 cents per share for 2024.

Gold fell to 5,172.30 dollars an ounce on Wednesday from 5,228.60 at Tuesday’s close.

The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were BP, up 14.45p at 514.00p, Rentokil Initial, up 11.30p at 467.30p, Shell, up 63.50p at 3,244.00p, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, up 18.00p at 1,215.00p, and InterContinental Hotels Group, up 1.90p at 133.45p.

The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were Legal & General, down 17.50p at 241.00p, Smiths Group, down 118.00p at 2,482.00p, ICG, down 71.00p at 1,527.00p, Fresnillo, down 138.00p at 3,654.00p, and Endeavour Mining, down 172.00p at 4,616.00p.

On Thursday’s economic calendar are US weekly jobless figures, as well as trade balance and building permits data.

Thursday’s UK corporate calendar sees full-year results for savings, insurance and investments firm M&G and publisher Informa.



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Gold, silver price prediction: Will gold head down to Rs 1.40 lakh/10 grams & silver hit Rs 2.20 lakh/kg? – The Times of India

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Gold, silver price prediction: Will gold head down to Rs 1.40 lakh/10 grams & silver hit Rs 2.20 lakh/kg? – The Times of India


Looking ahead to the coming week, the region around the weekly low of 140,000 is anticipated to emerge as a pivotal support zone. (AI image)

Gold and silver price prediction today: Gold and silver are exhibiting a slightly bearish bias, according to Abhilash Koikkara, Head – Forex & Commodities, Nuvama Professional Clients Group.

MCX Gold Price Outlook

MCX Gold, on the weekly timeframe, has retreated from its recent highs and remained under selling pressure over the past week. From a technical standpoint, prices have faced resistance at a significant trendline, with the daily chart now forming a sequence of lower lows, a classically bearish pattern. A sustained breakout above the trendline, however, could shift sentiment and invite fresh upside. For now, the intermediate trend remains rangebound to negative, reflecting a broader corrective structure, with a firm break below key support potentially accelerating the downside.Looking ahead to the coming week, the region around the weekly low of 140,000 is anticipated to emerge as a pivotal support zone, highlighting its importance from a technical perspective. As the ongoing correction runs its course, prices are expected to test this level making any short-term uptick a potential opportunity for fresh short positions rather than a cause for bullish conviction.Conversely, gold faces a notable resistance wall around the recent peak of 155,500 in the near term. Should prices manage a convincing breakout above this threshold, it would effectively invalidate the current bearish momentum and pave the way for a fresh upside move. A consistent hold above this level, moreover, would offer stronger confirmation that the corrective phase has run its course, and bullish sentiment has reclaimed control.To summarize, gold’s overall bias remains tilted to the downside, supported by a determined negative trend that keeps further losses on the table. The intermediate bearish framework is expected to stay intact so long as prices fail to reclaim the key resistance threshold of 155,500. With momentum indicators reinforcing the bearish case and market sentiment echoing the downside narrative, the metal looks poised to sustain its corrective momentum and press lower in the near term.

MCX Gold Trading Strategy

  • CMP: 149,000
  • Target: 140,000
  • Stoploss: 155,500

MCX Silver Price Outlook

From a weekly standpoint, silver’s price action reflects a sideways to bearish bias, as the silver faces conflict at trendline resistance. The second straight week of negative closes reinforces the case for an intermediate bearish period taking hold. In this setting, we expect traders would be well-served to align their positions with the dominant trend while placing stop-loss levels around the prior weekly highs to effectively manage downside risk.The market opened the week on a weak footing, with prices trading below the 30-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA), a sign that the negative bias remains in force. The bearish outlook is likely to persist as long as prices stay capped under key weekly resistance levels. Immediate support and the near-term target converge around the recent swing lows at 220,000, and a decisive close below this level could further deepen bearish bias. In the interim, any short-term bounce back is expected to be treated as opportunities to sell.To the upside, silver appears poised to challenge the trendline resistance in the area of 255,000 in the coming sessions. If the prices manage a convincing and sustained close above this threshold, it will weaken the ongoing bearish trend, a view currently reinforced by momentum indicators. On balance, the bearish structure is likely to remain dominant as long as 255,000 continues to act as a ceiling, paving the way for additional downside corrections ahead.

MCX Silver Trading Strategy

  • CMP: 240,500
  • Target: 220,000
  • Stoploss: 255,000

(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)



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Oil prices top $125 as US considers military options to break Iran deadlock

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Oil prices top 5 as US considers military options to break Iran deadlock


The price of Brent crude oil surged past $125 a barrel early Thursday as stalled USIran talks raised doubts over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a permanent end to the Iran war.

Brent crude to be delivered in June jumped 6.2 per cent to $125.36 early Wednesday. Brent to be delivered in July rose 3.1 per cent to $113.85.

Before the start of the war in late February, Brent crude was trading around $70 per barrel.

The Iran war, which is in its ninth week, still sees no clear path to an end. The US has continued its blockade of Iranian ports while the Strait of Hormuz, is closed, pushing oil prices higher.

US West Texas Intermediate futures for June were up $2.42, or 2.3 per cent, ⁠at $109.30 a barrel, after climbing 7 per cent in the previous session, climbing in eight of nine sessions.

A motorist purchases gasoline at a BP station on 29 April 2026 in Chicago, Illinois (Getty)

Both benchmarks are on track for their ​fourth month of gains.

US president Donald Trump is slated to receive a briefing on Thursday on plans for a series of military strikes ​on Iran in hopes it will return to negotiations on its nuclear programme, according to an Axios report late on Wednesday.

The US and Israel began air strikes on Iran on 28 February and it retaliated by closing off almost all shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for energy supplies from ​Middle Eastern producers.

Amid a ceasefire that has paused active combat, the US has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports. Talks to resolve the ​conflict, which has killed thousands and caused what analysts say is the world’s biggest energy disruption ever, have deadlocked, with the US insisting on discussing ‌Iran’s alleged ⁠nuclear weapons programme and Iran demanding some control over the strait and reparations for damage from the war.

“The oil market has moved from over-optimism to the reality of the supply disruption we are seeing in the Persian Gulf,” said ING analysts in a note.

In a sign the conflict and resulting energy supply disruptions are set to continue for longer, Mr Trump spoke on Wednesday with oil companies about how to mitigate ​the impact of a possible ​months-long US blockade, a White ⁠House official said.

“Prospects for any near-term resolution to the Iran conflict or a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remain dim,” IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said in a note.

The Opec+ grouping of members of ​the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies is likely to agree a small increase ​of around 188,000 ⁠barrels per day in oil output quotas on Sunday, sources told Reuters.

The meeting comes just after the United Arab Emirates’ withdrawal from Opec, effective 1 May, which is expected to deal a blow to the oil producer group’s ability to control prices. Although the Gulf nation’s exit ⁠would allow ​it to raise production after exports restart, analysts say that is unlikely to affect ​market fundamentals this year, especially with the Hormuz closure and other production disruptions from the war.”

Gulf countries, including the UAE, will take months to return to pre-war production ​volumes,” Wood Mackenzie analysts said in a note.

(Additional inputs from Reuters)



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IOB profit up 56% at Rs 5,200 crore in FY26 – The Times of India

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IOB profit up 56% at Rs 5,200 crore in FY26 – The Times of India


Chennai: Indian Overseas Bank’s annual net profit crossed Rs 5,000 crore for the first time, with the public sector lender reporting FY26 profits at Rs 5,209 crore, up 56% from Rs 3,335 crore in FY25, driven by higher income and lower provisions and tax expenses. The bank’s operating profit also crossed Rs 10,000 crore for the first time.



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