FTSE 100 Steady Amid Tariff Turmoil and Industry Setbacks

The UK's FTSE 100 remained largely subdued on Monday, as investors grappled with renewed uncertainties surrounding U.S. trade policy. This comes as chemical firm Johnson Matthey experienced a sharp decline after slashing the sale price of its catalyst unit to Honeywell.

Despite closing at record highs the previous week, the blue-chip index saw only a slight increase of 0.1% at 1200 GMT. Market instability followed President Donald Trump's announcement of a new 15% tariff on global imports, in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to remove tariffs set during an emergency.

This tariff increment, rising from 10% to 15% according to Unicredit analysts, negatively impacted shares in sectors such as packaging and aerospace. However, precious-metal miners experienced gains as gold prices rose. Politically, support for Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party appears to be wavering in key areas.