LONDON: U.K. stocks slipped for a second day, as declines in banks outweighed gains in commodity producers.
Barclays Plc slid 2.5 percent, contributing the most to the FTSE 100 Index’s drop, as Investec Plc downgraded the shares. Standard Chartered Plc lost 1.5 percent. ARM Holdings Plc slid 6.1 percent, for the biggest loss on the equity gauge. Moneysupermarket.com Group Plc fell 3.4 percent as founder Simon Nixon sold a stake.
Among miners, Rio Tinto Group added 1.5 percent and Anglo American Plc gained 1 percent. TUI AG rose 2.6 percent after saying it’s on course to deliver an annual increase in first-half results. Bellway Plc climbed 2.7 percent after proposing a larger dividend than projected.
The FTSE 100 fell 0.4 percent to 6,990.97 at the close of trading in London. The benchmark gauge dropped 0.3 percent in the final minutes of trading on Tuesday, following a six-day rally that pushed it to a record. The FTSE All-Share Index retreated 0.3 percent today, while Ireland’s ISEQ Index lost 0.9 percent.