Finance
London's FTSE 100 set to snap three-week winning streak amid geopolitical jitters
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on January 23, 2026
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on January 23, 2026
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
The FTSE 100 is poised for a weekly loss due to geopolitical tensions. Energy stocks rose, but financials dragged the index down. UK retail sales rose unexpectedly.
Jan 23 (Reuters) - The UK's FTSE 100 was muted on Friday as losses in heavyweight financials capped gains in energy stocks, even as the index was set for its first weekly loss in four on renewed geopolitical uncertainty.
The blue‑chip FTSE 100 was up 0.1% by 1201 GMT, but down over 0.7% for the week. Its three-week winning streak, in which it gained about 3.5%, has been its longest since August.
The domestically focused FTSE 250 , retreated 0.3% from a more than four-year high hit on Thursday. It was set to snap a five-week gaining streak, its longest since April-May.
U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats over Greenland last weekend weighed on investor sentiment this week. And although he backed away from the threats and ruled out acquiring the territory by force, investors remained uneasy about renewed geopolitical uncertainty.
In the market, FTSE 350 energy index climbed 1.2%, with BP and Shell up around 1% each, tracking a rebound in oil prices after Trump's renewed warnings to Iran raised supply disruption concerns.
Shares of airlines such as British Airways owner IAG and easyJet fell 3.5% and 2.7%, respectively. London-listed shares of cruise operator Carnival were off 2.1%. Wizz Air fell 4.2% after rising as much as 9% in the previous session on hopes of a Ukraine peace deal.
Financial stocks were the biggest drag on the market, with banks down 0.1%.
Among individual stocks, Babcock fell around 1% after the company said that its chief executive, David Lockwood, will retire by the end of 2026.
C&C group hit a more than 16-year low after the Irish drinks producer cut its fiscal 2026 profit forecast, blaming weak confidence following November's UK Budget that altered buying habits and saddled demand.
Separately, official data showed British retail sales unexpectedly rose in December, helped by stronger online spending, supporting signs of a pickup in the economy.
(Reporting by Tharuniyaa Lakshmi in Bengaluru; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair)
The main topic is the FTSE 100's weekly performance affected by geopolitical concerns.
Energy stocks rose, with BP and Shell up around 1% each, due to a rebound in oil prices.
Investor sentiment was impacted by geopolitical tensions, including Trump's tariff threats.
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