U.K. Stock Market Update

U.K. stocks closed lower on Tuesday, mainly due to losses in the Pharmaceuticals & Biotech, Fixed Line Telecommunications, and Chemicals sectors.

At the close in London, the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 lost 0.17%.

Best Performers

• Melrose Industries PLC (LON:MRON): up 5.19% or 24.60 points, closing at 498.80.
• 3I Group PLC (LON:III): increased by 4.34% or 139.00 points, ending at 3,340.00.
• BT Group PLC (LON:BT): climbed 3.69% or 5.25 points, closing at 147.40.

Worst Performers

• Schroders PLC (LON:SDR): down 13.70% or 49.80 points, closing at 313.80 (5-year low).
• AstraZeneca PLC (LON:AZN): decreased 8.40% or 928.00 points, ending at 10,114.00.
• Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC (LON:HIK): fell 1.94% or 36.00 points, closing at 1,820.00.

On the London Stock Exchange, falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones by 989 to 842, with 622 stocks ending unchanged.

Commodities

• Gold Futures (December delivery): up 0.19% or 5.10, priced at $2,751.30 a troy ounce.
• Crude Oil (December delivery): rose 1.54% or 1.10, closing at $72.57 a barrel.
• Brent Oil (January contract): increased by 1.35% or 1.01, trading at $76.09 a barrel.

Currency Exchange Rates

• GBP/USD: up 0.54% to 1.30.
• EUR/GBP: unchanged at 0.84.

US Dollar Index Futures

• Down 0.39% at 103.39.