The FTSE 100 fell 1.5% on Friday to a four-week low, as a global equity selloff deepened in the wake of sharp losses on Wall Street and across Asian markets. The downturn was driven by worsening sentiment toward AI-linked investments.
Mining stocks led the declines: Antofagasta and Glencore each dropped nearly 3%, while Rio Tinto slipped more than 2%. Among oil majors, both Shell and BP were down around 2%. Other blue-chip names also came under pressure, with AstraZeneca falling 2.5%, British American Tobacco losing more than 2%, and Unilever and Rolls-Royce each declining by over 1%.
There were some brighter spots. Rightmove raised its 2026 guidance for underlying earnings-per-share growth. In contrast, fresh data from Lloyds highlighted renewed weakness in the UK housing market, with house prices down 0.6% month-on-month in October and 1.2% year-on-year—the sharpest annual fall in three years.
For the week, the FTSE 100 is now down roughly 1%.
