{"id":141634,"title":"FTSE 100 Closes Lower as Oil Surge and Iran Risks Weigh","publisher":"Share Talk","author":"sharetalk","published":"2026-10-08T16:15:28+00:00","modified":"2026-10-08T16:15:28+00:00","canonical_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/ftse-100-closes-lower-as-oil-surge-and-iran-risks-weigh/","markdown_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/ftse-100-closes-lower-as-oil-surge-and-iran-risks-weigh.md","json_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/ftse-100-closes-lower-as-oil-surge-and-iran-risks-weigh.json","category":"Blogs","categories":["Blogs","Technology","Technology, Media & Telecoms"],"tags":["Asia","Bangkok","Denmark","Endeavour Mining","Fed","Federal Reserve","Finland","FRANCE","FTSE 100","GERMANY","Glencore","Greenland plan","Hong kong","Japan","London","Manila","mining stocks","Mumbai","Nasdaq Composite","NATO alliance","Netherlands","Nikkei 225","Norway","S&P 500","shanghai","Singapore","Sweden","Sydney","Taiwan","UK","United States","US Gulf of Mexico","Wall Street"],"featured_image":"https://i0.wp.com/www.share-talk.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/b2fc41f8-77f4-4f0a-abcd-e4aaa74092ea.png?fit=1727%2C911&quality=80&ssl=1","format":"news","language":"en-GB","content":"**The FTSE 100 **closed 0.16% lower at 10,441.60 on Thursday, while the** FTSE 250 fell** 0.39% to 23,943.88.\n\n**Brent crude surged more than 4% to above $104 a barrel**, driven by rising risks to Middle East supply and hurricane-related production shutdowns in the US Gulf of Mexico.\n\nGeopolitical concerns also intensified after reports that **US President Donald Trump is considering whether to escalate military action against Iran before or after November’s midterm elections**. The White House has not announced a decision to launch further strikes.\n\nThe combination of higher oil and already-elevated bond yields continued to raise concerns that inflation could remain persistent and interest rates higher for longer.\n\nUK housing data added to the cautious tone. The **RICS house-price balance fell to -32 in September from -28 in August**, ending four months of improvement as renewed expectations for higher borrowing costs weighed on buyers.\n\nSeparately, the UK and Germany launched their first **Industrial Tech Corridor**, designed to connect AI and critical-technology companies with major industrial partners in both countries. The initiative will initially focus on AI and high-value industrial applications.\n\nAmong individual stocks, **Tesco jumped 5.4%** after a stronger first half and an upgrade to full-year guidance.\n\nBritain’s largest supermarket now expects adjusted operating profit of **£3.15 billion to £3.3 billion**, compared with its previous £3.0 billion-£3.3 billion range. It also increased its share buyback programme by £200 million to £950 million.\n\n**Imperial Brands rose 4.7%** after maintaining its annual outlook and launching a new **£1.5 billion share buyback**. The tobacco group continues to expect adjusted operating profit growth of 3%-5%.\n\n**Aberdeen Group gained 1.4%** after raising £436 million from the sale of 52 million Standard Life shares, cutting its holding roughly in half to around 5.2%.\n\nStandard Life fell **4.3%**, making it one of the weakest performers in the index.\n\nFor investors, the market remains caught between **strong individual company earnings and a deteriorating macro backdrop**.\n\nAs long as oil remains above $100 and bond yields stay elevated, inflation and interest-rate concerns are likely to remain the dominant influence on UK equities."}