LONDON: U.K. stocks slid, following a weekly gain, as declines in British American Tobacco Plc and Vodafone Plc outweighed a rally in banks.
BAT retreated 1.2 percent and Vodafone lost 1 percent, contributing the most to the FTSE 100 Index’s drop. HSBC Holdings Plc rose 3.2 percent after the Sunday Times reported the lender may spin off its U.K. retail bank. Standard Chartered Plc increased 3.2 percent. Anglo American Plc led commodity producers higher. Sports Direct International rose 2.4 percent after being raised to the equivalent of a hold at RBC Capital.
The FTSE 100 Index fell 0.4 percent to 7,042.87 at 8:58 a.m. in London, following a weekly advance of 1.1 percent. The FTSE All-Share Index dropped 0.3 percent on Monday, while Ireland’s ISEQ Index fell 0.5 percent.
