FTSE 100 Snaps Quarterly Winning Streak on Geopolitical Jitters

Financial and industrial stocks provided a buffer against the selling pressure, preventing a sharper downturn for the blue-chip index. Gains in these sectors partially offset the losses sustained by energy and mining companies, which bore the brunt of the market's risk-averse sentiment. While the flagship index faltered, the midcap FTSE 250 showed greater resilience, posting a 0.4% gain by 0923 GMT. This performance gap suggests a divergent investor outlook between the heavyweights exposed to international commodity volatility and the domestic-focused firms comprising the midcap index.