FX.co ★ FTSE 100 Extends Losses on Tuesday

The FTSE 100 dropped 1.8% on Tuesday, extending a 1.2% decline from the previous session, as escalating tensions in the Middle East rattled global markets. President Donald Trump said the US would do “whatever it takes” and gave no clear indication of how long a conflict with Iran might last, heightening uncertainty and prompting investors to retreat from risk assets. Financial stocks led the decline, with HSBC Holdings down 3.5%, Barclays 4%, NatWest Group 1.5%, Lloyds Banking Group 3.1% and Standard Chartered 3.5%. Fresnillo fell nearly 3% as silver prices weakened, despite reporting full-year EBITDA growth of more than 80% to $2.8 billion. In contrast, BP gained around 1%, supported by higher oil prices.