British stocks opened lower on Tuesday, with the pound slipping below $1.34, as investor sentiment remains fragile amid persistent AI disruption concerns and geopolitical uncertainty, with markets likely to stay focused on the AI theme according to experts.
In regional news, four Bank of England rate-setters are scheduled to testify before parliament today, with markets watching closely for signals on a potential March rate cut, as policymakers remain divided.
As of 0811 GMT, the blue-chip indexFTSE 100 fell 0.2% and the British GBP/USD dropped 0.1% against the dollar to 1.3475.
DAX index in Germany and CAC 40 in France fell 0.3% each.
Stay ahead of the FTSE — premium UK stock insights and real-time market movers with InvestingPro UK round up Standard Chartered PLC (LON:STAN) reported fourth-quarter profit that fell short of analyst expectations, as flat revenue and higher expenses weighed on performance.
The Asia-focused lender posted underlying pretax profit of $1.24 billion for the three months ended December 31, below the $1.38 billion consensus compiled by Bloomberg. The figure was up 18% from $1.05 billion a year earlier.
Operating income was broadly flat at $4.85 billion versus $4.83 billion in the same quarter last year. Growth in wealth solutions and global banking offset weaker episodic trading income in markets.
Croda International PLC (LON:CRDA) reported higher adjusted earnings for 2025, supported by growth in its Consumer Care and Life Sciences businesses. Group sales rose to £1.70 billion, up 6.6% at constant currency, driven primarily by a 9.6% increase in volumes.
Adjusted operating profit increased 7.9% at constant currency to £295.3 million, with the adjusted operating margin improving to 17.4%. Adjusted profit before tax climbed 8.4% to £276.2 million, while adjusted basic earnings per share edged up to 146.2 pence from 142.6 pence.
Unite Group PLC (LON:UTG) reported a 2% drop in net asset value for 2025 and slower earnings guidance for the year ahead, as weaker occupancy and easing rental growth offset steady demand at high-tariff universities.
The UK’s largest student-accommodation provider posted a net asset value of 955 pence, down from Jefferies’ estimate of 988 pence. Adjusted earnings per share rose 2% year-on-year to 47.5 pence, compared with the Jefferies forecast of 47.8 pence. The company declared a 37.7-pence dividend, slightly below the expected 38.2 pence.
