FX.co ★ FTSE Edges Up for 3rd Day

The FTSE 100 added 0.2% on Wednesday, extending its advance for a third consecutive session after rising 0.8% on Tuesday, as markets continued to claw back losses tied to the conflict in Iran. Even so, the UK blue-chip index underperformed its regional counterparts, weighed down in part by declines in oil majors Shell and BP (both -0.4%), as a pullback in crude prices unwound some of the support those stocks had provided earlier in the week. Improving risk appetite supported travel and financial shares, while investors rotated out of recently outperforming defensive sectors such as utilities and telecoms. Stronger gains were seen in construction and technology—areas where the UK market has relatively limited exposure compared with continental Europe—leaving the FTSE 100 trailing the broader regional rebound.