The FTSE 100 edged lower as global equities weakened and Brent crude neared $100 a barrel, reinforcing expectations that central banks may have to continue raising interest rates to contain inflation.
Banks were among the weakest performers: Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC Holdings and Barclays fell between 1.3% and 1.7%, while NatWest and Standard Chartered also declined. Pharmaceutical shares were softer, with AstraZeneca and GSK down around 0.5%–0.7%, and Rolls-Royce slipped 0.9%.
In contrast, Computacenter surged 4% after reporting strong results, buoyed by robust data-centre spending. Rising oil prices supported energy stocks, with BP up 1.5% and Shell 1% higher. Miners also gained as copper prices hit another record, lifting Antofagasta by 1.7% and Glencore by 1.3%.
Meanwhile, UK retail sales rose 0.7% in August, according to the British Retail Consortium—below both the 12-month average growth rate of 1.6% and the 3.1% increase recorded in August last year.
