British stocks slip for second straight day on trade war jitters (updated)
04/02/2025 17:05
*
FTSE 100, FTSE 250 both end down 0.1%
*
Off day lows amid hopes of de-escalation in trade war
*
Vodafone drops after Q3 results
(Updates to closing prices)
Feb 4 (Reuters) -
British stocks fell for a second straight day on Tuesday but
the indexes ended well off their lows after U.S. President
Donald Trump said he would speak with Chinese President Xi
Jinping, sparking hopes of a de-escalation in the trade war.
The FTSE 100 .FTSE ended 0.1% lower after falling as much
as 0.7%. The domestically focussed mid-cap FTSE 250 .FTMC also
ended down 0.1%.
Energy stocks .FTNMX601010 staged a turnaround, rising
0.8% as oil prices turned positive after top trade adviser Peter
Navarro told a Politico Live event that Trump was set to speak
with Xi later on Tuesday. O/R
Shares of Vodafone VOD.L fell most steeply on the
benchmark index after the mobile group reported another
deterioration in Germany, its biggest market, in the third
quarter.
Diageo DGE.L dropped as much as 1.6% after touching its
lowest since Nov. 6, after the spirits maker withdrew its
medium-term organic sales growth target as it took steps to try
and mitigate the impact of U.S. tariffs on its tequila and
Canadian whisky.
The beverages sector .FTNMX451010 shed 1.3%.
Banknote printer De La Rue PLC DLAR.L hit a three-year
high after receiving preliminary approaches from parties other
than British financier Edi Truell's consortium.
On the macroeconomic front, the Bank of England is expected
to cut interest rates by 25 basis points on Thursday. On the
same day, markets will get a reading of Britain's PMI figures
for January.
In global markets, the U.S. and China set financial markets
on edge with tit-for-tat tariffs that raised the spectre of a
broader, damaging trade conflict.
Overnight, Trump agreed to a 30-day pause on the 25% tariffs
on Mexican and Canadian imports.
(Reporting by Pranav Kashyap and Medha Singh in Bangalore;
Editing by Varun H K and Gareth Jones)
((Pranav.Kashyap@thomsonreuters.com; +919886482111;))
((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 ))