FTSE 100 movers: Informa slides; Bunzl in the black

(Sharecast News) - London's FTSE 100 was down 1.4% at 10,762.24 in afternoon trade on Monday. Events organiser Informa was the worst performer on the index amid concerns about its exposure to the Middle East.

Panmure Liberum said that in round terms, about a third of the Informa Live Events business is exposed to the region.

"This equates to about a quarter of group," it said. "While the shares are likely to see a sentiment mark down the group has already traded its major H1 events and the major H2 events are late in the year. Therefore immediate impact is likely to be limited and we will need to see how long the conflict continues to see if there is going to be a material impact."

It rates the shares at 'buy' with a 1,200p price target.

Banks Standard Chartered, Barclays and HSBC all slumped. Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at Wealth Club, said financial stocks were lower as "investors worry about the implications of prolonged fighting for economies, the potential drag on demand for borrowing, and the increased risk of loans turning bad".

Travel-related stocks InterContinental Hotels and BA and Iberia owner IAG were under pressure, with surging oil prices set to increase costs for airlines.

Streeter said: "Airline stocks have been sideswiped by the conflict, with the closure of airspace across large swathes of the Gulf causing significant disruption. Not only will the immediate chaos be costly, with so many stranded passengers and route closures, but the dent to confidence among the travelling public may also hit demand for holidays and business travel elsewhere."

IHG was also in focus after the Competition and Markets Authority said it was among four hotel companies being investigated over the suspected sharing of sensitive information.

On the upside, defence firms BAE Systems and Babcock shot higher amid rising geopolitical tensions.

Citi pointed out in a research note that BAE Systems is among the four European aerospace and defence firms with the biggest exposure to the US defence market, at around 44%.

Bunzl was also in the black as the company's full-year revenue and operating profit met expectations.

FTSE 100 - Risers

BAE Systems (BA.) 2,194.00p 4.31% The Sage Group (SGE) 840.00p 2.09% Airtel Africa (AAF) 356.80p 1.95% BP (BP.) 484.15p 1.92% Bunzl (BNZL) 2,228.00p 1.46% Shell (SHEL) 3,108.00p 1.43% Babcock International Group (BAB) 1,358.00p 0.81% Admiral Group (ADM) 2,980.00p 0.47% London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) 8,894.00p 0.14% Schroders (SDR) 586.00p 0.09%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

Informa (INF) 789.60p -5.94% Standard Chartered (STAN) 1,721.00p -5.90% Croda International (CRDA) 2,950.00p -5.04% Barclays (BARC) 431.35p -5.03% InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 132.15p -4.65% HSBC Holdings (HSBA) 1,333.80p -4.45% International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 405.70p -4.41% Mondi (MNDI) 853.40p -3.92% Burberry Group (BRBY) 1,119.00p -3.91% Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 1,260.00p -3.88%