06:45 — No fireworks for FTSE 100, seen almost flat ahead of open
No fireworks are expected ahead of the London open, with the FTSE 100 seen pretty much flat.
CFD and spreadbetting firm IG Markets calls the blue-chip index down just 0.04%, making the price 10,491.
It comes after Wall Street closed lower on Monday, with the Nasdaq Composite down 1.54% to 25,877.639, the S&P 500 off 0.77% to 7,517.03 and the Dow shedding 0.24% to 52,509.46. Moves that came alongside a sharp jump in volatility, with the VIX rising nearly 14% to 17.13, as a fresh round of escalation between Iran and the United States.
Earlier this morning, in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 was up 0.71% to 67,720.37.
Gold strengthened, up 0.75% to 4,035.7, while the dollar index eased 0.07% to 101.162.
Bitcoin slipped 0.34% to 63,560.94 and Ethereum added 1.48% to 1,813.32, a mixed picture across crypto.
Brent crude was priced up 0.53% to $83.44 per barrel.
