UK shares fall as higher bond yields weigh

(Reuters) – London’s FTSE 100 fell on Friday, as a persistent rise in bond yields globally led to fears of higher inflation and borrowing costs, while energy stocks rose on higher crude oil prices.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index fell 0.7%, with banking and mining stocks, including Prudential Plc, Lloyds banking, Rio Tinto, Anglo American, and BHP, leading declines.

Oil heavyweights BP and Royal Dutch Shell, however, gained 0.7% and 0.4%, respectively, as oil prices climbed after OPEC and its allies agreed to extend output cuts to April.

A weaker overnight finish on Wall Street following a jump in U.S. Treasury yields also spilled over to Asian equities earlier in the day.

The UK domestically focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index fell 0.7%, dragged down by consumer discretionary and financial stocks.

Equipment rental company Aggreko rose 1.2%, as it backed a 2.32 billion pound ($3.22 billion) buyout offer from private equity firms TDR Capital LLP and I Squared Capital.

London Stock Exchange Group fell 4.4%, even after announcing a 7% dividend increase as integration of its $27 billion acquisition of data and analytics company Refinitiv stepped up a gear.

(Reporting by Shivani Kumaresan in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)