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Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

FTSE 100 movers: Defence firms rally, airlines hit amid MidEast tensions

(Sharecast News) - London's FTSE 100 was down 0.5% at 8,844.27 in afternoon trade on Friday. Defence firms BAE Systems and Babcock were among the top performers amid escalating tensions in the Middle East after Israel hit Iran's nuclear sites.

Oil majors BP and Shell gushed higher as oil prices were lifted by the conflict, while precious metals miner Fresnillo shone as gold prices rose amid a flight to safety.

Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB, said: "The yellow metal is hurtling towards a new record high set earlier this month, when the gold price reached $3,431. If the escalation continues, or if a nuclear threat arises, this could trigger a surge in gold beyond $3.500, in our view."

On the downside, BA and Iberia owner IAG and budget airline easyJet both flew lower, hit by the rise in oil prices.

Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said they were "hit by the double whammy of higher fuel costs as well as potentially damaged demand resulting from tensions in the Middle East region".

FTSE 100 - Risers

BAE Systems (BA.) 1,940.50p 2.94% BP (BP.) 391.85p 2.93% Shell (SHEL) 2,671.00p 2.16% Fresnillo (FRES) 1,436.00p 1.56% Tesco (TSCO) 397.30p 1.46% Next (NXT) 12,790.00p 1.31% Centrica (CNA) 167.20p 1.18% RELX FINANCE BV 3.375% GTD NTS 20/03/33 (BW73) 99.72p 1.10% Babcock International Group (BAB) 1,041.00p 0.87% British American Tobacco (BATS) 3,583.00p 0.82%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 313.70p -4.59% Schroders (SDR) 352.80p -4.23% easyJet (EZJ) 537.40p -3.83% Antofagasta (ANTO) 1,767.00p -2.62% St James's Place (STJ) 1,074.50p -2.50% Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) 1,923.00p -2.44% CRH (CDI) (CRH) 6,684.00p -2.31% Informa (INF) 772.60p -2.28% Anglo American (AAL) 2,091.00p -1.99% Barclays (BARC) 317.55p -1.98%

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Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.