London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

FTSE 100 slumps and gas prices surge as Russia crisis adds to cocktail of anxieties for markets

FTSE 100 slumps and gas prices surge as Russia crisis adds to cocktail of anxieties for markets

Market experts say the Russia-Ukraine tensions are starting to add to the wider volatility largely emanating from the United States where inflation is taking centre stage ahead of a key central bank meeting this week.

The FTSE 100 has seen £53bn wiped off its value amid a global markets sell-off as tensions between Russia and Ukraine add to a cocktail of investor worries.

Trading screens in London, Paris and Milan turned red while wholesale gas prices also rose sharply and Bitcoin plunged.

Britain's leading share index fell by 2.6%, or just under 197 points, to 7297 - leaving it below its level at the end of 2021 after giving up gains enjoyed during a brisk start to this year.


It was the FTSE 100's biggest one-day fall since November, when fears about the impact of the Omicron variant were taking hold.

The market volatility builds on heavy sell-offs that saw the US Nasdaq index come under particular pressure last week and endure its worst week of trading since March 2020.

That was largely down to fears of overinflated tech firm values and an accelerated pace of interest rate rises ahead as the Federal Reserve prepares to meet in the face of surging inflation.

The start of the new trading week saw a sell-off in Europe gather pace - building on losses on Friday linked to the US rate and tech rout.

The flight from risk also saw Bitcoin fall to below $33,000 for the first time since July last year - less than half the $69,000 all-time high reached last November - though it later clawed back some of the losses.

The pound came under pressure too and was a cent down on the dollar at just above $1.34 as the so-called safe haven US currency found support.


The FTSE 100's fall, led by mining and housebuilding stocks, built on the losses of 1.2% witnessed on Friday while the domestically-focused FTSE 250 was down by 3.6%.

Airlines were hard hit too amid the global tensions, despite the announcement of a further easing of travel testing requirements for UK arrivals - with British Airways owner International Airlines Group losing 6.5%.

Percentage falls in France, Germany and Italy on Monday were even sharper than in London, with stock indices down by around 4%.

Trading in New York initially also saw further falls to add to last week's sell-off - with the tech-heavy Nasdaq again seeing the worst of the pressure as it dived nearly 5% and the broader-based S&P 500 lost around 4%.

Later, Wall Street stocks fought back however and ended the day in positive territory.

Market analysts pointed to a growing influence from the Russia-Ukraine tensions.

It was evident in wholesale gas prices, which rose across Europe on Monday amid no sign that the stand-off was closer to a diplomatic solution.

NATO revealed it was bolstering its air and sea forces in the region while the UK joined the US in pulling out some of their embassy staff from Kyiv.

The UK wholesale gas contract for next day delivery was as much as 20% up on Monday - though at 228p per therm, it remains well down on the unprecedented highs above 400p witnessed last year.

Those additional costs are, without government intervention, tipped to raise the energy price cap by 50% for UK households from April.

Bjarne Schieldrop, commodities analyst at SEB, told Sky's Ian King Live that Europe was already paying a heavy price for the spat with Russia over Ukraine, as Moscow holds the key to wholesale costs through its 40% share of gas supply to the EU.

Asked whether Russia had been deliberately withholding supplies as a bargaining chip, he said of plunging gas pipeline volumes: "[The] increasing assumption these days is that this is sort of gaming from the Russian side with respect to Ukraine."

Meanwhile in the UK, the wider energy network is showing signs of strain often seen in the winter - with National Grid issuing a notice asking electricity suppliers to bump up capacity to make sure the system has enough spare "margin" in place, which was quickly withdrawn as the market responded.

It is the spectre of inflation that has harmed market sentiment - particularly in the US where the central bank's crisis era of support is being wound down.

All the major US indices have been tumbling from record highs this year as the pace of price increases threaten to dampen both consumer and corporate demand.

AJ Bell's investment director, Russ Mould, wrote: "The Federal Reserve is meeting on Wednesday amid expectations of a first interest rate hike in March and more increases to come this year than had previously been pencilled in.

"This has been signalled by a rise in bond yields. The hardening of monetary policy has negative implications for the valuations of tech stocks and they have seen big slumps in recent weeks.

"Perhaps Apple, Microsoft and Tesla can come to the rescue with some knockout numbers when they report this week. On the other hand, a series of disappointing updates from these technology titans would only undermine sentiment further.

"The shifting market landscape is further complicated by the increasingly noisy sabre rattling by Russia on the Ukrainian border.

"Escalation to a full armed conflict is likely to prompt market volatility and potentially a further surge in energy prices - only adding to the current inflationary pressures."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×