The U.K. stock market experienced a decline on Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 Index finishing down 0.19% at 7,676.89.
Declines in Banking and Mining Sectors
Among the FTSE 100 constituents, NatWest Group PLC saw the largest decline of 3.74%. Shares of general mining companies Rio Tinto PLC and Glencore PLC also fell by 3.06% and 2.61% respectively. Anglo American PLC and BHP Group Ltd. rounded out the top five largest decreases, with their stocks declining by 2.23% and 1.87% respectively.
Successful Performances in Other Sectors
However, not all stocks experienced losses. Ocado Group PLC, a food retail company, saw a significant increase of 24.82% on Wednesday. Aerospace products/parts firm Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC and general mining company Polymetal International PLC also had positive performances, with their stocks rallying by 21.19% and 6.67% respectively. Likewise, Entain PLC, a gambling industries company, and passenger airlines business International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A. saw increases of 4.70% and 2.31% respectively.
Currency and Commodity Markets
The pound showed some strength against the dollar, rising by 0.19% to $1.2928. Against the euro, it also experienced a slight increase of 0.03%, reaching €1.1672. In the commodity market, Brent crude dropped by 0.4% to $82.95, while the yield on the 10-year gilt increased by 1.250 basis points to 4.281%.