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UK Shares Fall as Earnings Pour In, Geopolitical Tensions Rise

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-- British shares retreated on Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 closing 1.16% lower, as investors weighed corporate earnings and geopolitical developments, including reports of US preparations for a prolonged naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

GSK (GSK.L), down 5.42%, was the second-worst performer on the blue-chip index. The drugmaker confirmed its 2026 growth guidance and logged a rise in first-quarter attributable profit to 1.74 billion pounds sterling from 1.62 billion pounds a year ago, in line with the FactSet-compiled consensus estimate.

"GSK has made a strong start to 2026, with good performance from our key growth drivers. Alongside operational delivery, we are focused on execution and accelerating R&D," Chief Executive Officer Luke Miels said.

Haleon (HLN.L) also upheld its 2026 growth outlook while first-quarter revenue inched up year over year to 2.86 billion pounds from 2.85 billion pounds amid a weak cold and flu season. The consumer healthcare company's shares were down 3.08% in the closing trade.

"Q1 top-line growth performance came in line with expectations, albeit a volume decline was softer-than-expected (versus Visible Alpha consensus). Consistent with Reckitt, a weak cold & flu season affected its performance across regions while consumption in Europe remained soft and growth in [Latin America] slowed," RBC Capital Markets said.

Meanwhile, energy distributor DCC (DCC.L) confirmed it received indicative cash proposals from a consortium comprising US investment companies Energy Capital Partners and KKR, sending its shares 9.29% higher. The consortium has until June 10 to make a firm offer for the group.

On the regulatory front, British communications services watchdog Ofcom launched an inquiry into BT Group (BT-A.L) for potentially failing to comply with its requirements tied to information requests issued to its entities. The regulator said the move does not imply any findings at this stage and that it will review the available evidence before deciding whether enforcement action is warranted. The company's shares lost 1.16% at close.

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