Britain's FTSE lags Europe as dollar earners dip

  • Reuters
  • Stock Market News
Britain's FTSE lags Europe as dollar earners dip
Credit: © Reuters.

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* FTSE 100 down 0.2%

* IGG and DS Smith slide after results

* M&G down 2% on suspension in dealing in property fund

LONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Britain's top share index lagged other European markets on Thursday, dragged down by dollar earners as sterling continued to march higher amid growing expectation that next week's general election will not result in a hung parliament.

A stronger pound weighed on big dollar-earnings stocks such as HSBC HSBA.L , Unilever ULVR.L and miners, dragging the blue-chip FTSE 100 .FTSE index down 0.2% lower by 0842 GMT.

Britain's pound rallied to a 2-1/2 year peak against the euro and a seven-month high against the dollar.

Online trading platform IG Group IGG.L and DS Smith SMDS.L were among the biggest fallers in percentage terms, both down more than 3, after their results failed to cheer investors.

Fund manager M&G Investments MNG.L , meanwhile, fell more than 2% having suspending dealing in its flagship UK property fund on Wednesday, citing the impact of Brexit uncertainty.

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