FX.co ★ UK Shares Fall Led by Airlines

The FTSE 100 experienced a decline of over 0.5% on Friday, impacted by travel disruptions and underwhelming public finance figures. Shares of IAG, the parent company of British Airways, saw a decrease of nearly 3.8% following an incident involving a fire near Heathrow, which led to the airport's closure for the day. EasyJet shares also fell by approximately 2.6%. Exacerbating the situation, UK public borrowing in February reached £10.7 billion, significantly surpassing the anticipated £7 billion, and representing the fourth-largest deficit recorded for February since 1993. Despite these setbacks on Friday, the FTSE 100 is projected to achieve a modest weekly gain, buoyed by the Bank of England's decision to maintain interest rates at 4.5% and its commitment to a careful, data-driven strategy for future rate adjustments.