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Business · 18 August 2026
The FTSE 100 index of top UK companies dipped on Tuesday, though energy giants BP and Shell actually gained value after oil pushed past $90 a barrel. Fading hopes for a Middle East ceasefire drove that jump in crude costs. In the wider economy, new official figures showed that private company wages are rising at their weakest pace since the end of 2020.
Reported by Reuters · How we write briefs
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