UK's FTSE 100 ends flat amid dimming hopes of progress in Iran talks
Market Performance and Influencing Factors
May 21 (Reuters) - Britain's blue-chip stock index ended flat on Thursday, as risk sentiment remained shaky following downbeat domestic data and persisting worries that the Middle East conflict could remain deadlocked.
The FTSE 100 closed 0.1% higher at 10,443.47 points, while the midcap FTSE 250 gained 0.5%.
Geopolitical Tensions and Economic Impact
Iran Nuclear Talks and Oil Prices
• Iran's supreme leader has issued a directive that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, Reuters reported, hardening Tehran's stance on one of the main U.S. demands at peace talks.
• The prolonged conflict has already pushed up oil prices and intensified concerns about inflation.
Domestic Economic Data
Business Activity and Inflation
• Separately, a survey on Thursday showed that British companies were suffering the most widespread drop in activity in more than a year, due to the economic fallout from the war and political uncertainty at home.
• "These figures... lend some tentative support to other evidence that suggests the conditions for a long period of high inflation are not in place," said Paul Dales, chief UK economist at Capital Economics.
• Earlier this week, data showed that inflation in April was softer than expected, while the unemployment rate ticked up.
• Meanwhile, factory orders in May contracted at the fastest rate since September 2020, according to the Confederation of British Industry.
Sector and Stock Highlights
Top Performing Sectors
• Utilities were among the best-performing sectors on the day, followed by industrial metal miners and retailers
Notable Stock Movements
• Shares of automotive marketplace Autotrader slipped 8.8% after the company reported slower sales, and were the biggest laggard on the FTSE 100.
• Medical equipment and services shares fell 1.6%, dragged down by a near 5% drop in medical equipment maker Convatec, which flagged margin pressure.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Niket Nishant and Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore and Alex Richardson)
