Monday Morning Markets: FTSE 100 Slips Amid Tech Volatility, Brent Remains Near $107 Despite Slide

UK jobs, inflation and retail sales data arrive this week.

FTSE.INDX

1M 3M 6M 1Y 5Y

The FTSE 100 opened lower today, down 0.8% in early trading. The FTSE 250 is down 0.4%. Europe is weaker too, with the DAX falling 1%, the CAC 40 down 1.2% and the Stoxx 50 losing 0.9%.

Oil stays high

Early in the session, Brent crude was down 2.5% at $107.05 a barrel and WTI, the US benchmark, was down 2.2% at $96.88.

Brent remains far above $100 despite the dip, keeping fuel costs and inflation expectations in view. Gold has risen 0.3% to $4,176, while sterling slipped 0.2% to $1.3309 against the dollar.

Middle East risks remain in focus, with the US State Department reportedly telling Americans in the region to “exercise heightened vigilance due to the complex security environment”.

Qatar’s deputy prime minister, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, is said to have told the Global Security Forum in Doha: “We haven’t reached the peak with respect to energy.”

FTSE 100 movers

Early risers were London Stock Exchange Group up 0.89%, RELX up 0.82% and Compass up 0.80%. The biggest fallers were 3i Group down 4.29%, Anglo American down 2.37% and Barclays down 2.36%.

FTSE 250 movers

Pets at Home rose 4.60%, Ocado 3.43% and Meridian Mining 2.78%. Volex fell 3.92%, Baltic Classifieds 3.34% and Entain 3.31%.

VLX.LSE

1M 3M 6M 1Y 5Y

Volex issued a half-year trading update. It said first-half revenue would be at least $710m, with organic constant-currency growth of at least 21%. It expects FY2027 underlying operating profit “towards the upper end of current market expectations”.

Data this week

UK data will shape rate expectations this week with key data releases. Unemployment figures are due on Tuesday, inflation on Wednesday and retail sales on Friday.