A trader in Kuwait follows the prices amid fears over mounting tensions in the Middle East. BP and Royal Dutch Shell each made gains, but the wider FTSE 100 fell 1 per cent YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/Getty ImagesOnly four of London’s blue-chip companies were in positive territory this morning as investors deserted equities in favour of safe-haven assets. The FTSE 100, the index of the UK’s biggest companies, fell by 79.22 points, or 1 per cent, to 7,543.18 in early trading as the mounting tensions between the United States and Iran spooked traders. “A sense of nervousness is hanging over the markets as the new trading week kicks off,” Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, the online trading platform, said. “Investors are worried about Middle East tensions escalating, hence why equities have fallen across Europe and Asia.”Of the four FTSE 100 stocks in the black, two were BP and Royal Dutch Shell.

Source: The Times January 06, 2020 12:11 UTC