Lucy Harley-McKeown
FTSE slides as US stocks end big quarter at records
How major markets are performing on Monday
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The FTSE 100, European and markets fell on Monday in London, as investors anticipate the next lot of US jobs data on Friday. Volatility has also set in amid continued conflict between Israel and Lebanon.
Meanwhile, US stocks bid farewell to the month and the quarter with fresh records as investors reacted to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell vowing to do what it takes to keep the economy humming, while signaling he won't rush future rate cuts.
The FTSE 100 (^FTSE) fell 0.9% by the end of the session, while the DAX (^GDAXI) was down 0.6% in Germany and Paris's CAC 40 (^FCHI) dropped 1.8%.
Across the pond, the S&P 500 (^GSPC), the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) closed high, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) finished just above the flatline.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed by an Israeli air strike on Friday, which also killed 20 other figures in the organisation. Abbas Nilforoushan, a senior general in Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps was also killed via an air strike, according to state media reports. Meanwhile other Hezbollah top figures have also been killed.
The death toll in Lebanon in the last two weeks is more than 1,000. On Monday afternoon, media outlets were reporting that Israel was increasingly threatening a ground invasion.
Due to the conflict, oil prices are set to be volatile. In today's session they have already whipsawed up and down. Brent Crude (BZ=F) rose 0.7% in early trade to hover around the $72-a-barrel mark, before dipping briefly and then rising in the afternoon. Crude (CL=F) also rose 0.5% to $62.50 per barrel before heading 0.3% lower.
Rightmove (RMV.L) was among the top fallers in the FTSE 100 on Monday, down 8.2% after it rejected a fourth offer by the Rupert Murdoch-backed REA Group. The online estate agency platform, which is currently the market leader, said the offer undervalued the company and was 'unattractive'.
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