FTSE 100 dips on declines in personal goods and homebuilders
For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock markets, click LIVE/ or type LIVE/ in a news window
FTSE 100 down 0.4%, FTSE 250 flat
UK services activity at four-month high in August
Barratt sees return to profit growth by 2026
Personal goods index slips to lowest levels in over 14 years
Updated at 1540 GMT
By Khushi Singh
Sept 4 (Reuters) - Britain's main stock index ended lower on Wednesday, led by a drop in personal goods and homebuilder stocks, while investors assessed crucial UK and U.S. economic data ahead of interest rate decisions by central banks in coming weeks.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index .FTSE was down 0.4%, touching its lowest levels in three weeks earlier in the session. The domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 .FTMC ended flat, after its biggest drop in almost a month.
Rate-sensitive homebuilders .FTNMX402020 hit near one-month lows, down 2.9%, after Barratt Developments BDEV.L said it did not anticipate profit growth until fiscal 2026. The homebuilder slipped 4.6%.
The personal goods .FTNMX402040 index lost 4%, touching its lowest levels since February 2010, as sectoral heavyweights Burberry BRBY.L and Watches of Switzerland Group WOSG.L dipped 4.5% and 3.4% respectively.
Automobiles and parts .FTNMX401010 were the top sectoral gainer, climbing 2.2%, while aerospace and defence .FTNMX502010 shares added 0.9% as Rolls-Royce RR.L continued gains for the second session, adding 1.8%.
On the data front, a survey showed Britain's services activity grew last month at the fastest pace since April and price pressures eased, pointing to a more benign inflation outlook and a settling of the economy after July's election.
U.S. job openings dropped to a 3-1/2-year low in July, suggesting the labour market was losing steam, but probably not enough for the Federal Reserve to consider a big interest rate cut this month.
Among individual stocks, DirectLine Insurance Group DLGD.L fell 2.4%after a half-year operating profit miss.
Airtel Africa AAF.L dropped 5.2% to the bottom of the FTSE 100 after JP Morgan downgraded the stock to "Neutral" from "Overweight".
Insurer and asset manager M&G MNG.L declined 1.5% after lower first-half operating profit.
Reporting by Khushi Singh, Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; editing by Rashmi Aich and Mark Heinrich
For related prices, Reuters users may click on - * UK stock report .L FTSE index: 0#.FTS6 techMARK 100 index: .FTT1X FTSE futures: 0#FFI: Gilt futures: 0#FLG: Smallcap index: .FTSC FTSE 250 index: .FTMC FTSE 350 index: .FTLC Market digest: .AD.L Top 10 by vol: .AV.L Top price gainers: .NG.L Top % gainers: .PG.L Top price losers: .NL.L Top % losers: .PL.L * For related news, click on - * UK hot stocks: HOT and GB Wall Street: .N Gilts report: GB/ Euro bond report GVD/EUR Pan European stock report: .EU Tokyo stocks: .T HK stocks: .HK Sterling report: GBP/ Dollar report: USD/ * For company prices, click on - * Company directory: UKEQ By sector: FTAX * For pan-European market data, click on - * European Equities speed guide................ EUR/EQUITY FTSE Eurotop 300 index........................... .FTEU3 DJ STOXX index................................... .STOXX Top 10 STOXX sectors........................ .PGL.STOXXS Top 10 EUROSTOXX sectors................... .PGL.STOXXES Top 10 Eurotop 300 sectors.................. .PGL.FTEU3S Top 25 European pct gainers.................... .PG.PEUR Top 25 European pct losers..................... .PL.PEUR
免责声明: XM Group仅提供在线交易平台的执行服务和访问权限，并允许个人查看和/或使用网站或网站所提供的内容，但无意进行任何更改或扩展，也不会更改或扩展其服务和访问权限。所有访问和使用权限，将受下列条款与条例约束：(i) 条款与条例；(ii) 风险提示；以及(iii) 完整免责声明。请注意，网站所提供的所有讯息，仅限一般资讯用途。此外，XM所有在线交易平台的内容并不构成，也不能被用于任何未经授权的金融市场交易邀约和/或邀请。金融市场交易对于您的投资资本含有重大风险。
所有在线交易平台所发布的资料，仅适用于教育/资讯类用途，不包含也不应被视为用于金融、投资税或交易相关咨询和建议，或是交易价格纪录，或是任何金融商品或非应邀途径的金融相关优惠的交易邀约或邀请。
本网站上由XM和第三方供应商所提供的所有内容，包括意见、新闻、研究、分析、价格、其他资讯和第三方网站链接，皆保持不变，并作为一般市场评论所提供，而非投资性建议。所有在线交易平台所发布的资料，仅适用于教育/资讯类用途，不包含也不应被视为适用于金融、投资税或交易相关咨询和建议，或是交易价格纪录，或是任何金融商品或非应邀途径的金融相关优惠的交易邀约或邀请。请确保您已阅读并完全理解，XM非独立投资研究提示和风险提示相关资讯，更多详情请点击 这里。
