UK stock market today: FTSE 100 slips on Shell warning as defence stocks jump
London, January 8, 2026, 11:24 GMT — Regular session UK shares eased on Thursday after Shell slid on a downbeat trading update, even as defence names ran higher on fresh bets on military spending. The FTSE 100, London’s blue-chip index, was down 0.3% by 10:40 GMT and the mid-cap FTSE 250 fell 0.4%. Reuters It matters because the market’s first full week of the year is already splitting into clear winners and losers — energy and UK retail on one side, defence on the other — and investors are using every trading statement as a stress test for margins and
