FTSE 100 Lower and Set for Weekly Loss as Oil Rises; BATS, SBRY Shares Gain

The FTSE 100 is down 0.7% on Friday morning and on course for a weekly decline of around 2.7%, as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to weigh on sentiment.

The FTSE 250 is off 0.8%, Germany’s DAX is down 0.4% and France’s CAC 40 has fallen 1%.

British American Tobacco leads the FTSE 100 risers, up 2.5%, with Sainsbury’s gaining 1.9% after announcing a share buyback programme of up to £300 million, to be completed by 27 February 2027.

BP is up 1.4% and Shell is not far behind at +1.3%, with both energy majors supported by continued rises in oil prices amid elevated Middle East tensions.

Mondi is the biggest faller, dropping 8% following a first-quarter trading update that pointed to a challenging market environment and rising cost pressures. ConvaTec is down 3.8% and Entain has fallen 3.7%.

UK retail sales rose 0.7% in March, recovering from a 0.6% decline in February, though analysts noted that much of the gain was driven by motorists stocking up on fuel ahead of price rises, with underlying growth more modest.

In the FTSE 250, Computacenter surges 7.2% after a strong first-quarter update that beat prior-year figures and internal expectations, driven by hyperscale customer demand in North America and the UK.

Wizz Air leads the fallers at -6.6%, with THG and PageGroup both down 3.9%.