FTSE 100 slides as oil rally can’t lift London shares
London shares dropped on Wednesday, but moves were split. Oil majors held up with higher crude, while most other stocks fell as fuel costs and inflation fears rose, plus a new Middle East worry after U.S. President Donald Trump said the first Iran deal was done. Reuters reported the FTSE 100 off 1.3% to 10,519.17 at 1111 GMT, with the FTSE 250 down 1.7%. Market breadth stood out for investors. Energy was up—it was the only sector in the green earlier. Defence stocks fell the hardest, which doesn’t happen often when markets are moving on Middle East risks. BP gained 3%, Shell added 1.8%. Precious-metals miners dropped 3.6% as gold lost over 1%.