FTSE 100 Trades Cautiously After Inflation

2026-08-19 07:59 By Agna Gabriel 1 min. read

The FTSE 100 traded around the flatline on Wednesday as gains in commodity-related stocks were offset by weakness in banking shares.

Lenders came under pressure as investors slightly reduced expectations for a Bank of England rate hike later this year.

UK inflation accelerated to 2.9% year-on-year in July from 2.6% in June, in line with market expectations, although traders viewed the increase as largely anticipated due to higher energy costs.

The data prompted a modest reduction in rate-hike bets.

Smith & Nephew was among the biggest individual fallers, declining as much as 3.7% after CFO John Rogers announced his resignation to take up a position in the US.

Meanwhile, energy and mining stocks provided support.

BP gained around 1%, while Shell rose 0.6%.

Anglo American and Rio Tinto added approximately 0.7% each, and Glencore advanced 0.5%.



News Stream
FTSE 100 Trades Cautiously After Inflation
The FTSE 100 traded around the flatline on Wednesday as gains in commodity-related stocks were offset by weakness in banking shares. Lenders came under pressure as investors slightly reduced expectations for a Bank of England rate hike later this year. UK inflation accelerated to 2.9% year-on-year in July from 2.6% in June, in line with market expectations, although traders viewed the increase as largely anticipated due to higher energy costs. The data prompted a modest reduction in rate-hike bets. Smith & Nephew was among the biggest individual fallers, declining as much as 3.7% after CFO John Rogers announced his resignation to take up a position in the US. Meanwhile, energy and mining stocks provided support. BP gained around 1%, while Shell rose 0.6%. Anglo American and Rio Tinto added approximately 0.7% each, and Glencore advanced 0.5%.
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