U.K. stocks showed weakness Tuesday morning, weighed down by losses in defense stocks amid progress in Ukraine peace talks. Also, investors exercised caution amid a slew of crucial economic data from the U.S., including the jobs report, this week. Data showing an increase in the nation's unemployment rate weighed a bit.
The benchmark FTSE 100 was down 8.80 points or 0.11% at 8,116.08 about a quarter before noon.
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April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.