The FTSE 100 Index Closes 0.22% Lower

The FTSE 100 Index fell 22 points or 0.22 percent on Tuesday to close at 10247 points. Leading the losses are Vodafone (-7.77%), Marks & Spencer (-5.43%) and 3i (-4.65%). Top gainers were Intertek (6.88%), British American Tobacco (5.82%) and London Stock Exchange (3.37%).

The FTSE 100 slipped 0.2% on Tuesday, with banks weighing on the index, though it still outperformed broader European markets. Sentiment was hit by growing doubts over the stability of the US-Iran ceasefire and rising political uncertainty in the UK. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stated he will remain in office despite calls from over 70 Labour MPs for his resignation following the party’s poor local election results. Banking stocks led declines, with HSBC, Lloyds, Barclays, NatWest and Standard Chartered all falling between 1% and 4%. Vodafone dropped more than 7% despite beating earnings expectations and returning to growth in Germany. Limiting losses, oil majors Shell and BP rose as crude prices remained elevated amid ongoing Middle East tensions.

The FTSE 100 Index is falling 79 points. Losses were driven by Natwest (-4.56%), WPP (-4.15%) and Barclays (-4.12%). Biggest rises came from Intertek (5.47%), British American Tobacco (1.58%) and IMI (1.38%).