The streak ran out of road
The FTSE 100 had been strutting around with an eight-session winning streak, but Thursday brought a reality check. U.K. shares slipped nearly 1% as investors got a little less brave and a lot more twitchy about the Middle East.
Why the mood flipped
The spark was fresh U.S. strikes on Iranian targets, followed by Tehran’s retaliatory response. That’s the kind of headline cocktail that makes markets reach for the stress ball, because escalation risk tends to push investors toward the usual safety trade: less risk, more caution, more cash under the mattress.
What this means for your portfolio
This wasn’t about one company blowing up or missing earnings. It was a broad macro wobble, which means the pain can show up across sectors at once — especially for names tied to travel, energy, defense, and anything sensitive to swings in sentiment.
If you’re watching the FTSE, the big question is whether this is just a one-day geopolitics hiccup or the start of a more nervous stretch. Big picture: when the world gets louder, markets usually get quieter about taking risks.