FTSE 100 Edges Down Slightly

2026-10-20 15:55 By Agna Gabriel 1 min. read

The FTSE 100 closed slightly lower on Tuesday but recovered from session lows as sentiment improved through the afternoon, mirroring a broader reduction in losses across other markets.

The rebound coincided with a reversal in oil prices, with Brent crude falling below $108 a barrel after approaching $112 earlier in the session.

Gains in healthcare stocks AstraZeneca (+1.5%) and GSK (+0.6%) were outweighed by declines across energy, banking, mining and defence shares.

Shell and BP fell, while HSBC and Lloyds Banking Group lost around 1% each.

NatWest and Standard Chartered dropped approximately 2%, Rio Tinto and Glencore declined by more than 2%, and Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems slipped 0.7% and 0.5%, respectively.

Meanwhile, UK payroll employment rose by 13,000 in September, exceeding expectations for a decline of 8,000.

The unemployment rate eased to 4.7% in the three months to August, its lowest since July 2025.



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