UK shares on Thursday tracked weakness in European and Asian peers after the US Federal Reserve delivered another 75-basis-point interest rate hike, with investors bracing for a second outsized hike by the Bank of England later in the day.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index slid 1.0% by 0706 GMT, while the domestically focussed mid-cap index declined 1.1%. UK’s central bank looks set to raise rates by at least half a percentage point in a bid to tame inflation, which is just off a 40-year high.
The BoE had delayed its announcement by a week due to the national mourning following Queen Elizabeth’s death.
Economists polled by Reuters expect the BoE to raise rates to 2.25% from 1.75%, while financial markets see a 92.4% chance of a bigger move to 2.5%.
Rate-sensitive banks and insurance shares fell 1.4% and 1.7%, respectively, leading losses on the benchmark FTSE 100 index.
UK’s biggest sportswear retailer JD Sports fell 6.3% after it reported lower profit for the first half and said it would remain cautious about trading through the rest of the year as sky-high inflation crimps consumer spending.
Meanwhile, the sterling hit a new 37-year low against a firm dollar.
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