FTSE 100 Starts Week Lower
2026-06-01 07:38
By
Agna Gabriel
1 min. read
The FTSE 100 traded lower on Monday as investors monitored developments in the Middle East after the US and Iran exchanged messages over the weekend regarding a draft agreement to extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Sentiment was also affected by reports that Israel expanded its ground operations in Lebanon, undermining a previous truce.
Mining stocks were among the biggest decliners, with Fresnillo and Endeavour Mining down nearly 3%.
Defence names also retreated, with BAE Systems falling more than 2%, Babcock down 1.8% and Rolls Royce losing 1.7%.
In contrast, oil majors Shell and BP gained 1.1% and 0.8% respectively.
EasyJet surged more than 10% after responding to reports of takeover interest from Castlelake, stating it had not received any proposal.
Meanwhile, Nationwide reported that UK house prices fell 0.6% in May, marking the largest monthly decline since June 2025.