---
title: "UK stocks fall at the open, as expected"
publisher: "Share Talk"
author: "sharetalk"
published: "2026-02-02T08:22:27+00:00"
modified: "2026-02-02T08:22:27+00:00"
date: 2026-02-02
canonical: "https://www.share-talk.com/uk-stocks-fall-at-the-open-as-expected/"
category: "Blogs"
categories: ["Blogs", "Business & Support Services", "Technology", "Technology, Media & Telecoms"]
tags: ["Denmark", "Endeavour Mining", "Fed", "Federal Reserve", "Finland", "FRANCE", "FTSE 100", "GERMANY", "Glencore", "Greenland plan", "mining stocks", "Nasdaq Composite", "NATO alliance", "Netherlands", "Norway", "S&P 500", "Sweden", "UK", "United States", "Wall Street"]
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format: "news"
language: "en-GB"
---

# UK stocks fall at the open, as expected

**Published:** February 2, 2026
**Author:** sharetalk
**Categories:** Blogs, Business & Support Services, Technology, Technology, Media & Telecoms
**Tags:** Denmark, Endeavour Mining, Fed, Federal Reserve, Finland, FRANCE, FTSE 100, GERMANY, Glencore, Greenland plan, mining stocks, Nasdaq Composite, NATO alliance, Netherlands, Norway, S&P 500, Sweden, UK, United States, Wall Street
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The **FTSE 100** fell sharply at the open, dropping 58 points, or 0.57%, to 10,167 as the sell-off across commodities fed through to UK equities.

Precious metals producers were among the hardest hit. **Endeavour Mining** slumped 11%, tracking the collapse in gold and silver prices, while **Fresnillo** slid 7%.

The rout extended across the mining sector, with **Antofagasta** down 5.3%, **Glencore** off 3.7% and **Anglo American** falling 3%.

Oil stocks were also under pressure as crude prices slid overnight. **BP** and **Shell** were both more than 2% lower, adding to the downside across the index as investors continued to cut exposure to commodity-linked names.

**Bitcoin** slid to its lowest level in around ten months in early trading, as investors continued to flee riskier assets amid the broader market rout.

The world’s largest cryptocurrency fell to $74,546, its weakest level since 7 April last year, and a long way from the record high above $125,000 reached in 2025.

The move underlines how sharply sentiment has turned against high-beta assets, with crypto tracking the sell-off seen across commodities, equities and technology stocks.

The sell-off is spreading well beyond precious metals, with base metals now firmly in the firing line.

**Copper, tin** and **zinc** are all being aggressively sold, as traders continue to unwind crowded positions. Copper futures in Shanghai have slumped by more than 9% in today’s session, while tin prices in Shanghai have plunged around 11%.

In **London**, zinc prices are down more than 4%, adding to the sense of a broad-based capitulation across industrial metals.

Platinum has also been caught in the downdraft, sliding around 10% this morning to $1,945 an ounce. That marks a dramatic reversal from last week, when the metal briefly surged to a record high of $2,918 an ounce before tumbling sharply on Friday.

The scale and speed of the moves underline how quickly sentiment has flipped across commodities, with what had been a powerful momentum-driven rally now giving way to forced liquidation and risk reduction.

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