UK and European stocks closed mixed as investors assessed the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and parsed fresh unemployment data in the euro zone.
The dollar gained after an Iranian missile attack on Israel drove the buying of safe haven assets as investors fretted about the widening of conflict in the Middle East.
Oil prices rose on fears conflict could disrupt oil supply from the key producing region after Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel.
Gold eased, taking a breather after rallying in the last session on an escalation in the Middle East conflict, while traders waited for more clues on U.S. interest rates.
Challenger lender Starling Bank has been fined £29m by the regulator for "shockingly lax" financial crime controls, it was announced on Wednesday.
The Financial Conduct Authority said measures used by Starling to tackle financial crime had not kept pace with its rapid growth. Starling has gone from 43,000 customers in 2017 to 3.6m in 2023.
In particular, the bank’s automated screening system had - since 2017 - only been screening against "a fraction" of the full list of those subject to financial sanctions.
Starling became aware of the issue in January 2023 and has reported "multiple potential breaches of financial sanctions to the relevant authorities," the FCA noted.
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