UK Markets Daily: FTSE 100 Closes Down 1.1% on Monday 19 October 2026

TL;DR: The FTSE 100 closed down 1.08% at 10,764.69 on Monday, while the FTSE 250 fell 0.63%, gold fell 0.50% to $4,160.00 an ounce, and Brent crude fell 0.24% to $109.60 a barrel.

Market snapshot

Closing levels on 19 October 2026 (data as of 2026-10-19 16:35 London time):

What moved markets

• UK shares fell, with the FTSE 100 down 1.08% and the FTSE 250 down 0.63%. The data and headlines fetched today show no single clear driver for the share moves, so we are not going to invent one.
• The pound rose 0.22% against the dollar to 1.33, while the euro fell 0.26% against the pound to 0.84.
• Gold fell 0.50% to $4,160.00 an ounce and Brent crude fell 0.24% to $109.60 a barrel, so oil stayed at a high level even after a small fall on the day.
• Bitcoin rose 1.05% over 24 hours to $81,986, while Ethereum rose 1.29% to $2,402.85. Today’s headlines also report that China’s growth accelerated as an AI boom helped boost exports, and that home sellers in the UK cut asking prices on 3,000 properties a day.

Top UK business headlines

• Vinted blocks French looters listing stolen goods for sale (BBC News)
• Bikes ‘not for jousting,’ says Lime after duel video (BBC News)
• Home sellers cut asking prices on 3,000 properties a day (BBC News)
• Musk and Anthropic pledge public share giveaways (BBC News)
• Bereaved families could face ‘unjust’ tax bill after civil service pension delays (BBC News)

Tomorrow to Watch

The scheduled economic news that can move markets on Tuesday 20 October 2026, in UK times:

• 07:00: UK labour market report, with Claimant Count Change, Average Earnings Index 3m/y and the Unemployment Rate. This is the monthly check on jobs and pay from the Office for National Statistics. Markets expect the unemployment rate to stay at 4.9%, average earnings growth of 3.8% against 3.9% last time, and a claimant count change of 19.4K against 27.8K last time. Pay and jobs figures usually move the pound and UK government bond yields because they shape what the Bank of England may do with interest rates.
• 10:00: ZEW Economic Sentiment Index (October). This survey asks German and euro area analysts how they see the economy in the months ahead. Markets expect a reading of around 31, down from 34.7 last time. It usually moves the euro and European shares as an early signal on growth.
• 13:30: US Housing Starts and Building Permits (September). Housing starts count new homes where building has begun, and building permits count approvals for future building. Markets expect housing starts of 1.305 million, up from 1.275 million last time, and building permits of 1.385 million, down from 1.403 million. The figures usually move the dollar and US bond yields when they change the picture on the US economy and interest rates.
• 15:00: US Pending Home Sales (September). This counts contracts signed to buy existing homes, so it is an early guide to completed sales in the months ahead. It usually moves the dollar only when it is far from what markets were expecting, because it is a smaller release than the housing starts figures earlier in the day.

Times and expectations are taken from the published economic calendar and can change. We explain what each release is and what it usually moves; we do not predict which way markets will go.

See the full UK Markets Daily hub, updated every weekday evening.

Figures are indicative closing levels and can be delayed. Nothing here is financial advice.