Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 13, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 13, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleLondon’s FTSE 100 slipped roughly 0.4% to around 10,558 amid renewed geopolitical tensions as U.S.–Iran peace talks collapsed, prompting a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and pushing oil above $100 a barrel, unnerving markets.
April 13 (Reuters) - London's stock indexes fell on Monday after the U.S. moved to blockade Iranian shipping following the collapse of the weekend peace talks nL6N40V09S that dimmed hopes of a swift end to the Middle East conflict.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index fell 0.4% to 10,558.38 points by 0944 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 slipped 0.8%.
• London markets were swept up in a risk-off stance globally as failed U.S.-Iran talks pushed up oil prices to more than $100 a barrel again.
• The two indexes had logged gains last week after a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, though the fragile truce showed signs of strain as fighting continued.
• Heavyweight banks came under pressure on Monday, with HSBC and Barclays leading the declines, down 1.1% and 1.3%, respectively.
• Energy stocks gained, with Shell and BP rising about 1.8% each.
• Travel and leisure stocks declined as oil prices jumped. Cruise operator Carnival was down 3.9%, while airlines also inched lower.
• EasyJet and Wizz Air fell 4.3% and 7.3%, respectively. Bernstein downgraded Wizz to "market-perform" from "outperform".
• A report said Finance Minister Rachel Reeves would set out her approach nL8N40V035 to help businesses struggling with higher energy prices later this week, in the wake of the Middle East conflict.
• Homebuilder Vistry appointed nL6N40W0AW insider Adam Daniels as CEO, but its shares fell 4.9% amid broader market declines.
• Wise advanced 5.3% after the fintech group reported a 26% jump nL6N40W0C6 in fourth-quarter cross-border transaction volume.
(Reporting by Purvi Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
London stocks slipped after failed US-Iran peace talks increased market uncertainty and pushed oil prices above $100 a barrel.
Banking, travel, and leisure stocks declined, while energy stocks like Shell and BP gained due to higher oil prices.
Rising oil prices led to gains in energy stocks, but negatively impacted travel and leisure shares, causing them to decline.
Vistry appointed Adam Daniels as CEO, Wise reported a 26% rise in cross-border transaction volume, and Wizz Air was downgraded to market-perform.
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves is expected to outline support measures for businesses facing higher energy costs later this week.
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