London, March 24, 2026, 12:20 AM GMT
Britain’s FTSE 100 trimmed a steep morning drop, closing roughly 0.2% lower—not far from a three-month low—after tumbling 1.67% at the open, down 166 points. Intertek managed a 1.28% gain by 1700 GMT, according to Fidelity data.
London shares continue to react to war developments as much as earnings. Sterling bounced, gilt yields swung back from highs not seen since 2008, and traders quickly slashed bets on more Bank of England hikes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a five-day delay on planned strikes against Iranian power plants. “Markets had been taken on a ‘wild ride,’” said Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at Wealth Club. Reuters
Entain surged 8.24% on Investing.com’s UK 100, with Antofagasta picking up 7.32% and Croda International climbing 5.60%. BT Group ended down 5.94%, BAE Systems slipped 4.89%, and BP recorded a 4.22% drop. Losers outpaced gainers on the London Stock Exchange, 1,020 to 866.
Intertek’s shares moved higher, bucking the broader trend. Reuters calls the company a UK-based total quality-assurance provider—handling assurance, testing, inspection and certification. Those independent checks help businesses prove their products, assets and supply chains meet necessary standards, touching sectors from consumer goods and health and safety to infrastructure and energy.
Intertek’s full-year numbers, released March 3, had CEO André Lacroix touting “another year of record performance.” He said the group is “entering 2026 with confidence,” with demand fueled by tighter standards on quality, safety, and sustainability. For 2025, Intertek posted revenue of 3.43 billion pounds, marking a 4.3% increase at constant currency. Adjusted operating margin landed at 18.1%, while adjusted diluted earnings per share jumped 10.1%. Intertek
Ben Slupecki at Morningstar described Intertek as a “premium tester,” though he flagged that a “muted 2026 outlook” for its consumer products and industry and infrastructure segments weighed on the stock following results earlier this month. Even so, he believes the selloff has left shares undervalued. Morningstar, Inc.
Competition in the sector isn’t exactly relaxed. Last year, Reuters said Bureau Veritas and SGS discussed a potential merger that would have produced a testing-and-certification powerhouse valued above $30 billion—leaving rivals far behind and underscoring just how much scale still matters here.
Even with Monday’s bounce, anxiety could linger. Chris Beauchamp at IG Markets called the U.S. action “a postponement, not a complete cease-fire.” Reuters spoke with Brown Brothers Harriman strategist Elias Haddad, who suggested that any durable rally hinges on whether the de-escalation proves real or is simply a temporary pause. Reuters
