24.02.202608:44:11UTC+00FTSE 100 Trades Lower

The FTSE 100 fell 0.3% on Wednesday after the introduction of a new 10% global tariff regime, which reignited trade tensions and stoked concerns about the outlook for global growth. Financial and health care stocks were the main drags on the index, with banks under pressure amid worries that higher tariffs could dampen economic activity. HSBC slipped 1%, Barclays lost 1.7%, Lloyds Banking fell 1.5%, and NatWest declined 0.9%, while Standard Chartered dropped 1.4% despite unveiling a $1.5 billion share buyback, as its quarterly results underwhelmed investors.

Unite Group tumbled nearly 10% after steering income guidance toward the lower end of its range, citing weaker occupancy in the Empiric portfolio. The broader losses were partially offset by gains in commodity-linked names, as stronger crude prices buoyed oil majors and firmer metals prices supported mining stocks. Convatec climbed almost 8% after raising its medium-term guidance, while Croda advanced 3.7% after posting earnings in line with expectations and reaffirming its 2026 outlook.