FTSE 100 Trades Cautiously on Monday

2026-08-03 08:04 By Agna Gabriel 1 min. read

The FTSE 100 fluctuated on Monday, with gains capped by weakness in energy stocks and AstraZeneca.

Investor sentiment improved after US President Donald Trump said fresh talks with Iran would begin today, raising hopes of easing geopolitical tensions.

Optimism surrounding a potential agreement that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz pushed crude oil prices lower, weighing on oil majors Shell and BP, which both fell more than 2%.

AstraZeneca dropped over 6% after reports that the pharmaceutical group had held discussions with US drugmaker Bristol Myers Squibb about a possible merger.

In contrast, homebuilders Persimmon and Barratt Redrow gained more than 4% as markets scaled back expectations for further Bank of England rate hikes.

Banks also advanced, while aerospace engineer Rolls-Royce rose around 3.8%.



News Stream
FTSE 100 Trades Cautiously on Monday
The FTSE 100 fluctuated on Monday, with gains capped by weakness in energy stocks and AstraZeneca. Investor sentiment improved after US President Donald Trump said fresh talks with Iran would begin today, raising hopes of easing geopolitical tensions. Optimism surrounding a potential agreement that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz pushed crude oil prices lower, weighing on oil majors Shell and BP, which both fell more than 2%. AstraZeneca dropped over 6% after reports that the pharmaceutical group had held discussions with US drugmaker Bristol Myers Squibb about a possible merger. In contrast, homebuilders Persimmon and Barratt Redrow gained more than 4% as markets scaled back expectations for further Bank of England rate hikes. Banks also advanced, while aerospace engineer Rolls-Royce rose around 3.8%.
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The FTSE 100 edged lower on Friday due to weakness in heavyweight consumer goods, healthcare, and banking stocks. Unilever dropped more than 2%, while AstraZeneca and GSK each declined around 0.5%. Major lenders HSBC Holdings and Lloyds Banking also fell. IAG fell more than 1% after reporting second-quarter revenue below expectations, reflecting the impact of ongoing disruption from the Middle East conflict on air travel. In contrast, NatWest surged more than 4% after raising its full-year guidance and indicating it could launch additional share buybacks. Sainsbury's gained around 2% after announcing the sale of its Argos business. Energy stocks also advanced, with BP and Shell rising between 1.3% and 1.8% as oil prices extended their sharp monthly rally of more than 20%. Despite Friday's decline, the FTSE 100 finished the week up more than 1% and posted a monthly gain of roughly 3.5%, its strongest performance since February.
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