UK Stocks Fall for 2nd Day

2026-03-12 17:03 By Luisa Carvalho 1 min. read

London’s FTSE 100 fell 0.5% to close at 10,305 on Thursday, the second session of losses, as rising oil prices fueled inflation concerns amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said that the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed and warned that all US military bases in the region would be attacked if not shut.

Banks and financials led the declines, with HSBC falling 6.1% after going ex-dividend and a broker note flagged its Middle East exposure.

Barclays, Standard Chartered, Lloyds, and NatWest slid 2–5%.

Rate-sensitive housebuilders Persimmon, Barratt, and Redrow also declined, alongside airlines Easyjet and IAG.

Top gainers included Rentokil Initial (5.2%) on a UBS upgrade, BAE Systems (3.1%), BP (3%) and Shell (2.6%).

Utilities including SSE, Centrica, and National Grid also advanced.



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