FTSE 100 Falls on Thursday
2026-05-07 16:12
By
Agna Gabriel
1 min. read
The FTSE 100 fell more than 1% on Thursday, as investors monitored developments in US-Iran peace negotiations and weaker oil prices pressured energy shares.
Brent crude slipped below $100 per barrel, dragging down oil majors Shell and BP by 3.1% and 2.6%, respectively.
Utilities also came under pressure, with Centrica, Severn Trent, United Utilities and SSE falling between 2% and 5.5%.
Shell reported quarterly profit above expectations with adjusted net income of $6.92 billion, though it reduced its share buyback program to $3 billion from $3.5 billion.
Centrica warned retail profit would likely come in near the lower end of guidance due to warmer weather and ongoing bad debt challenges.
BAE Systems dropped over 5% despite reaffirming its sales outlook on strong defence demand.
In contrast, travel and leisure stocks, including InterContinental Hotels, EasyJet, and IAG outperformed as lower fuel prices supported sentiment.