FTSE shares inch lower
The FTSE 100 stock exchange slipped fractionally on Tuesday after a bout of cautious trading due to uncertainty over Europe's economic outlook and poor earnings reports, analysts said.
The benchmark index ended down 0.08 percent at 5,602.30 points.
Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) was the most traded stock, seeing 208 million units change hands, followed by Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which saw 122 million shares switch owners.
The day's top performer was temperature control device manufacturer Aggreko, which added 21 pence -- or 2.01 percent -- to finish at 1,066, followed by life insurer Old Mutual, which added 2.2 pence -- or 1.84 percent -- to stand at 121.6.
Property group Liberty International was the biggest faller, dropping 20.5 pence -- or 4.5 percent -- to close at 486, followed by Standard Chartered bank which shed 50.5 pence -- or 2.84 percent -- to finish at 1,725.5.
Meanwhile, sterling ended lower against the dollar and the euro.
At 17:20, the pound was trading at 1.4985 dollars, down from 1.5068 at the same time on Monday, while Britain's currency stood at 1.1038 euros, down from 1.1063 over the same period.
Copyright 2010  AFP European Edition
