The FTSE 100 Index Opens 0.06% Lower

GB100 decreased to 10684.00 Index Points, the lowest since July 2026. Over the past 4 weeks, United Kingdom Stock Market Index (GB100) lost 1.61%, and in the last 12 months, it increased 15.85%.

The FTSE 100 traded at a one-week low on Wednesday as Brent crude surged through $100 a barrel for the first time since July, with renewed fighting in the Middle East keeping upward pressure on oil prices. The US destroyed five Iranian crude-carrying tankers after an attempt to strike a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles, while Tehran subsequently fired missiles towards Jordan and warned vessels in the Persian Gulf. Energy stocks were among the few gainers, with Shell up 1.1% and BP rising 1.8%. Utilities also advanced, with SSE, Centrica, United Utilities, Severn Trent and National Grid gaining between 1.1% and 1.6%. Aberdeen Group rose more than 2% after appointing Torbjörn Magnusson as its new chairman, subject to regulatory approval. Magnusson is the former chairman of Nordea and car insurer Hastings. Elsewhere, financials, consumer staples, industrials and consumer discretionary stocks were mostly lower.

The FTSE 100 Index is falling 7 points. Losses were driven by Auto Trader (-2.98%), Burberry (-2.13%) and Babcock International (-1.25%). Biggest rises came from Computacenter (2.81%), Aberdeen Group (2.50%) and SSE (1.84%).