British stocks opened lower on Tuesday as the FTSE 100 slipped 0.2% and the pound fell to $1.3475, with investor sentiment remaining fragile amid persistent AI disruption concerns and geopolitical uncertainty. Four Bank of England rate-setters are scheduled to testify before parliament today, with markets watching closely for signals on a potential March rate cut as policymakers remain divided.

Standard Chartered PLC reported fourth-quarter profit of $1.24 billion, falling short of the $1.38 billion analyst consensus compiled by Bloomberg. The Asia-focused lender's underlying pretax profit was up 18% from $1.05 billion a year earlier, but flat revenue at $4.85 billion and higher expenses weighed on performance. Growth in wealth solutions and global banking offset weaker episodic trading income in markets.

Croda International PLC posted stronger results with adjusted operating profit increasing 7.9% at constant currency to £295.3 million, while Unite Group PLC reported a 2% drop in net asset value for 2025 to 955 pence. The UK's largest student-accommodation provider saw adjusted earnings per share rise 2% year-on-year to 47.5 pence, but warned of slower earnings guidance for the year ahead as weaker occupancy and easing rental growth offset steady demand at high-tariff universities.