FTSE 100 Slips Again As Growth Worries Weigh

(RTTNews) - U.K.'s equity benchmark FTSE 100 fell for a second straight day, as stocks drifted lower on Friday amid persisting concerns about the situation in the Middle East, worries about inflation and possible interest rate hikes by central banks.

The mood is cautious amid lingering uncertainty about reported peace talks between U.S. and Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump extended the pause on military strikes on Iran by 10 days.

Reports that the Pentagon is planning to send 10,000 more troops to the Middle East signal a possible escalation in tensions in the region. Meanwhile oil prices climbed higher again, with the Brent crude climbing over $114 a barrel, raising inflation concerns.

The FTSE 100 was down 56.19 points or 0.56% at 9,915.98 a few minutes past noon.

Metlen Enegy & Metals fell 6.8%. Entain, Barratt Redrow, Persimmon, Segro, Informa, Antofagasta, Rolls-Royce holdings, AutoTrader Group, Babcock International, Fresnillo, Tritax Big Box REIT, British Land, Land Securities and Anglo American Plc lost 2%-3%.

Lion Finance Group, Next, Games Workshop, IMI, Scottish Mortgate, Lloyds Banking Group, Standard Chartered, Glencore, Marks & Spencer, M&G, centrica and Prudential also declined sharply.

AstraZeneca moved up 3.7% after saying its experimental treatment tozorakimab met the main goal in two late-stage trials.

after the company announced that the European Medicines Agency has accepted its marketing authorization application for bepirovirsen.

3i Group gained about 2.7%. Aviva, Smith & Nephew, Natwest Group, Reckitt Benckiser, The Sage Group and Experian advanced by 0.5%-1%.

In economic news, data from the Office for National Statistics showed UK retail sales decreased for the first time in three months in February, though at a slower-than-expected pace.

The seasonally adjusted retail sales volume posted a monthly fall of 0.4% in February, reversing a 2% growth in January, which was the strongest growth since May 2024. The rate of increase in January was revised up from 1.8%. Economists had expected a drop of 0.7%.

Excluding automotive fuel, total retail also declined 0.4% in February after a revised 2.2% increase in the prior month. Sales were expected to fall by 0.8%.

On a yearly basis, retail sales growth moderated to 2.5% in February from 4.8% in January. The expected growth was 2.1%. Sales have been rising since June last year.