FTSE 100 Live: Iran war affects airlines and banks, natural gas prices soar

Group 1: Market Impact of Conflict - The conflict is expected to have a "sharp but short-lived" impact on oil and gas prices, according to George Lagarias, chief economist at Forvis Mazars [2] - Oil prices have increased by 30% since last December, with Brent crude oil rising almost 10% to just under $80 a barrel and US WTI up 9% to just over $73 a barrel [3][6] - UK natural gas prices have surged by 25% to 98.5p per therm, nearing spikes seen in January, which were the highest in 10 months [7] Group 2: Stock Market Reactions - The FTSE 100 index dropped 82 points to 10,828 at the start of the week, driven down by airlines, hotels, banks, and retailers [10] - British Airways owner IAG experienced the largest decline, falling by 9.78%, followed by Informa down 6.7% and IHG down 5.3% [10][11] - Defence companies saw gains, with BAE Systems rising 6.9%, and oil and gas producers Shell and BP both increasing by over 5% [12] Group 3: Commodity Price Movements - Gold prices increased by 2.4% to above $5,400 an ounce, while silver rose by 1.7% to $95.4 per ounce [8] - Copper prices decreased by 0.7%, with coal and steel also down, and iron ore remaining flat [9] Group 4: Regulatory Developments - The Competition and Markets Authority has initiated an investigation into Intercontinental Hotels, Hilton, and Marriott for suspected sharing of sensitive commercial information [14]