By Tharuniyaa Lakshmi March 13 (Reuters) - London's main stock indexes extended declines on Friday, as the Middle East conflict heightened inflation fears that clouded the Bank of England's monetary
London benchmarks log weekly loss as Mideast war hits rate-cut hopes
Market Performance and Economic Impact
By Tharuniyaa Lakshmi
March 13 (Reuters) - British stocks posted their second straight week of losses on Friday, as the Middle East conflict heightened fears about inflation and clouded the Bank of England's monetary policy outlook.
Weekly Stock Market Movements
The blue-chip FTSE 100 was down 0.4%, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 fell 0.4%. Both indexes logged a second week of losses, although the declines were less severe than last week.
Geopolitical Tensions and Market Sentiment
Markets braced for prolonged tensions as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran approached its third week, with Washington hardening its stance and Tehran pledging to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut.
Domestic Economic Data
Adding to the downbeat mood, data showed Britain's economy stagnated unexpectedly in January after weak growth in the preceding months, pointing to a loss of momentum even before the war in Iran.
GDP showed zero growth in January. The median prediction in a Reuters poll of economists was for a 0.2% month-on-month increase.
Analyst Insights and Rate Cut Expectations
"If the Strait of Hormuz re-opens by the end of March, the economic fallout should be limited, but a prolonged closure and persistently high energy prices pose the real risk," said Jonathan Stubbs, analyst at Berenberg.
"Needing to avoid a depreciation in the pound that makes inflation worse, the Bank of England would likely shelve interest rate cuts for the rest of the year," Stubbs added.
Money markets have erased predictions of a March 19 rate cut from the Bank of England, according to LSEG data.
Several big banks including BofA, Goldman Sachs, Standard Chartered and Morgan Stanley have revised their forecasts to predict a delay in easing by the BoE, now expecting the first cut in the second quarter.
Sector Highlights
Energy Sector Gains
The heavily weighted UK energy index was up 1.1% with oil majors BP and Shell up 0.9% and 1.1% respectively, as Brent crude prices traded above $100 a barrel. [O/R]
Banking Sector Losses
HSBC and Standard Chartered fell 1.2% and 3.2% respectively as both are heavily invested in the Gulf’s rise as a global finance hub, and have seen operations disrupted as the Iran conflict rattles their Middle East ambitions.
(Reporting by Tharuniyaa Lakshmi in Bengaluru; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair)
