Market Shifts: Inflation Concerns Weigh on London Stocks as Healthcare Falters

The London stock market ended in red on Thursday as investor sentiment turned wary amid concerns about inflation risks and the Bank of England's interest rate strategy. Weakness in the healthcare and medical equipment sectors notably dragged the indices down.

The FTSE 100 experienced a 0.4% decline, marking its most significant slide in a week. Moreover, the FTSE 250 dropped by 0.5%. BoE policymaker Megan Greene highlighted on Wednesday that Britain's inflation challenges might be stronger than what the central bank anticipates, necessitating a cautious stance on future interest rate reductions.

Meanwhile, Wall Street mirrored this trend, with indexes dipping to their lowest in a week due to fresh economic data and insights from a Federal Reserve official dampening hopes for additional rate cuts. The repercussions were also seen in the bond market, where yields on British government bonds climbed following robust U.S. economic growth data, raising borrowing costs across the board.

(With inputs from agencies.)