UK stocks decline before Bank of England rate decision
BY Reuters | ECONOMIC | 06/18/26 05:33 AM EDT(For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock markets, click or type LIVE/ in a news window)
* FTSE 100 down 0.9%, FTMC down 0.6%
* Tesco
* Intertek
* BoE rate decision at 12:00 GMT
June 18 (Reuters) - Britain's main stock indexes fell on Thursday, pressured by financials and materials as investors awaited the Bank of England's rate decision and assessed the Federal Reserve's hawkish policy outlook.
The BoE is widely expected to hold rates at 3.75% later this morning, after the U.S. Federal Reserve kept rates unchanged on Wednesday. However, nine Fed policymakers expect a rate hike this year as inflation concerns continue to weigh on consumers.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index fell 0.94% to 10,410.01 points by 10:16 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 slipped 0.63%.
* Among financials, London Stock Exchange
* Precious metal miners led sectoral losses, falling 5%, with Fresnillo and Hocschild Mining down 5.8% and 7%, respectively.
* UK's biggest food retailer Tesco
* Rate-sensitive homebuilders shed 2.6%, with Persimmon falling 6.4%, the worst performer on the benchmark.
* Intertek
* The world's largest exhibition group Informa
* Oil giants BP and Shell declined 1.5% each, as oil prices reached to their lowest since start of Iran war.
(Reporting by Utkarsh Hathi in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)
Print
