FTSE 100 Extends Losses for 2nd Session
2026-10-20 07:17
By
Agna Gabriel
1 min. read
The FTSE 100 traded slightly lower on Tuesday after falling 1.1% in the previous session.
Banking stocks remained under pressure, with HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest and Standard Chartered down between 0.9% and 1.4%.
Aerospace and defence shares also weakened, as Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems each lost more than 1%.
Distribution company Bunzl was among the worst performers, falling over 3%, while Rio Tinto declined more than 1%.
In contrast, Anglo American gained around 2% after raising its annual diamond production forecast as it pursues a sale of its De Beers unit.
Official figures showed UK payroll employment increased by 13,000 in September, beating expectations of an 8,000 decline, while August’s reading was revised from a 26,000 drop to a 1,000 increase.
The unemployment rate also eased to 4.7% in the three months to August, its lowest since July 2025, suggesting the labour market remains resilient ahead of Chancellor John Healey’s budget next week.