London Markets: FTSE 100 falls, hampered by awaiting of faster Fed rate hikes

U.K. bonds forsaken Wednesday, on march to finish adult Feb with a monthly loss, as investors focused on a awaiting of rising borrowing costs in a U.S. after comments from new Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

A slack in bureau activity in China, a pivotal marketplace for London-listed metals producers, was also putting vigour on London’s benchmark.

How markets are relocating

The FTSE 100 index

UKX, -0.28%

fell 0.5% to 7,245.33, led by waste for a simple materials sector, though tech, oil and gas and health caring shares were up. On Tuesday, a London pointer slipped 0.1%.

For February, a FTSE 100 is on lane to tumble 3.6%. That would be a misfortune monthly opening given Aug 2015, according to FactSet.

The bruise

GBPUSD, -0.1438%

fetched $1.3877, down from $1.3908 late Tuesday in New York.

What’s pushing markets

U.K. blue-chip equities were underneath pressure, echoing movement on European

SXXP, -0.35%

 and Asian markets

NIK, -1.44%

HSI, -1.36%

 , after a selloff in bonds on Wall Street on Tuesday.

Those waste came after Powell told congressional lawmakers that a U.S. mercantile opinion has strengthened given December. That was interpreted as a pointer a Fed might lift seductiveness rates 4 times this year, instead of 3 times, as it has formerly signaled. Powell will attest before a Senate Banking Committee on Thursday.

Read: 4 financial-market takeaways from Fed arch Jerome Powell’s entrance

Persistent worries about aloft borrowing rates have unsettled tellurian markets this month, contributing to a FTSE 100’s expected detriment for February. Investors concentration on U.S. yields and Fed-rate policy, as aloft U.S. seductiveness rates tend to expostulate financial markets globally and as many companies do business in a U.S.

Powell’s testimony helped expostulate a dollar

DXY, +0.12%

 higher, that in spin pulpy down on prices of metals denominated in a U.S. currency, such as copper

HGK8, -0.49%

 . U.K. bonds of miners forsaken Wednesday, tracking that pierce lower.

The mining zone was also underneath vigour from information display a gait of expansion in China’s production activity fell neatly in Feb . China is a vital customer of both industrial and changed metals.

What strategists are saying

“It is apropos increasingly transparent that tellurian bonds still sojourn rarely supportive to a prospects of rising acceleration and interest-rate fears. With Powell’s testimony fuelling marketplace conjecture of aloft U.S. seductiveness rates this year, batch markets sojourn unprotected to downside risks, as equity bears slink in a background,” pronounced Lukman Otunuga, investigate researcher during FXTM, in a note.

Stock movers

ITV PLC shares

ITV, -6.52%

 slid 6.2% after a broadcaster’s pretax distinction of £500 million ($697.1 million) fell brief of a FactSet accord guess of £558 million.

Taylor Wimpey PLC shares

TW., -2.19%

 dropped 2.3% as a home builder posted a 6.9% tumble in 2017 pretax profit.

Admiral Group PLC shares

ADM, -1.53%

 climbed 2.5% with a word association observant a 2017 distinction rose 45% and had a clever opening during a core U.K. car-insurance business.

In a mining group, Anglo American PLC