April 13 (Reuters) - London's stock indexes fell on Monday after the U.S. moved to blockade Iranian shipping following the collapse of the weekend peace talks nL6N40V09S that dimmed hopes of a swift
London stocks close lower after US-Iran talks falter, oil jumps
Market Reaction to Middle East Tensions and Oil Price Surge
April 13 (Reuters) - London's stock indexes closed lower on Monday due to uncertainty around the Middle East conflict following the end of a U.S. deadline to start a blockade of ships leaving Iran's ports, a day after the collapse of the weekend peace talks nL6N40V09S.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index ended 0.2% lower, in its third session of declines, while the midcap FTSE 250 slipped 0.3%.
Global Investor Sentiment and Oil Market Impact
• Global investors took a cautious stance towards risk assets as U.S.-Iran talks failed to end in a deal, and oil prices surged to more than $100 a barrel as the Strait of Hormuz remained closed.
• The two indexes had logged gains last week after a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, though the fragile truce showed signs of strain as fighting continued.
Sector Performance Overview
Healthcare Stocks
• Healthcare stocks were the worst hit, with AstraZeneca and Haleon falling 1.6% and 1% respectively.
Energy Stocks
• Energy stocks were the biggest gainers, with Shell and BP rising 1.5% and 0.9% respectively.
Travel and Leisure Stocks
• Travel and leisure stocks declined as oil prices jumped. Cruise operator Carnival was down 3.4%, while airlines also inched lower.
• EasyJet and Wizz Air fell 2.4% and 5.4%, respectively. Bernstein downgraded Wizz to "market-perform" from "outperform".
Key Company and Policy Updates
• A report said Finance Minister Rachel Reeves later this week would set out her approach nL8N40V035 to help businesses struggling with higher energy prices in the wake of the Middle East conflict.
• Homebuilder Vistry appointed nL6N40W0AW insider Adam Daniels as CEO, but its shares fell 3.8% amid broader market declines.
• Wise advanced 6.5% after the fintech group reported a 26% jump nL6N40W0C6 in fourth-quarter cross-border transaction volume.
(Reporting by Purvi Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Leroy Leo)
