London’s blue-chips are trading lower on Tuesday, with the FTSE 100 down 0.3%, while the FTSE 250 is off 0.3%, tracking weakness across Europe as the Dax fell 0.5%, the CAC 40 dropped 0.4% and the Stoxx 50 shed 0.5%.
Sentiment remains dominated by the escalating US-Iran conflict, after the Houthis attacked several Saudi cities, knocking energy facilities offline, while Tehran threatened “economic warfare” against Washington and vowed to squeeze shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The escalating conflict has pushed oil higher, with Brent crude up 2.1% to $99.07 and WTI climbing 3.3% to $94.45 on fears over Hormuz disruption.
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Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.
Meanwhile, spot gold has slipped 0.3% to $4,392 and silver has eased 0.4% to $65.89.
FTSE 100 movers: Computacenter (+3.5%) leads the risers after posting record half-year results, with adjusted pre-tax profit up 87% on booming North American hyperscale demand; it raised full-year guidance to at least £380m.
Autotrader (+3.3%) has gained after Jefferies upgraded the stock to Buy, lifting its target to 640p from 545p. Meanwhile, Antofagasta has added 1.6%.
On the downside, banks weighed heavily, with Lloyds (-1.9%), Standard Life owner Phoenix (-1.8%) and HSBC (-1.6%) all falling amid broader risk-off trading.
FTSE 250: ME Group International has jumped 4.7% and SDCL Efficiency Income Trust is up 2.7%, while Trustpilot added 2.6%.
The heaviest fallers were results-driven, with Dunelm tumbling 10.2% after warning of “significantly softer” trading in the first six weeks of FY27 amid unusually hot weather, despite flat annual profit before tax of £211m.
Funding Circle dropped 8.9% even after upgrading FY26 guidance, as investors focused on news that CEO Lisa Jacobs will step down within the next year.
Johnson Service Group has dropped 8.8% after flagging “challenging market conditions” in its HORECA division despite steady interim profits.
