London close: Stocks fall as traders take profits ahead of Greek referendum

UK stocks finished firmly lower on Friday as investors showed their nerves ahead of a pivotal weekend for Greece as the public votes on creditors' bailout proposals.

With the result of the referendum apparently too close to call and reports claiming that Greek banks were beginning to run out of money, market participants were trimming their positions ahead of Sunday's vote.

The FTSE 100 settled 44.69 points lower (-0.67%) at 6,585.78 as Greek uncertainty hit risk appetite in London, with banking and mining stocks bearing the brunt of the selling pressure.

IG analyst David Madden said this weekend's referendum could mark a turning point for Greece "and dealers aren’t taking any chances as a ‘no’ vote could keep the banks shut for another week".

He said: "The country is at breaking point as ATM’s are running out of cash, and food supplies in shops are depleting quickly. To top it all off the public must make a difficult decision to accept additional austerity or risk being kicked out of the Eurozone."

According to the head of the Hellenic Chambers of Commerce, Constantine Michalos, cash reserves at Greek banks were down to just €500m. Although banks were expected to reopen next week, Michalos said: “Anybody who thinks they are going to open again on Tuesday is day-dreaming. The cash would not last an hour.”

The data calendar was on the thin side on Friday, partly because US markets were closed for an early Fourth of July bank holiday. The only major release for City traders was the Markit/CIPS UK services purchasing managers' index which rose to 58.5 in June from 56.5 in May, beating the 57.5 consensus forecast.

Banks and miners fall

Banking stocks were broadly lower after Brazil's antitrust agency accused 15 global banks of rigging the Brazilian currency. CADE is investigating groups including UK lenders HSBC, Barclays and Standard Chartered over suspicions they worked together to manipulate the exchange rate of the real, deterring competitors from the market between 2007 and 2013.

Royal Bank of Scotland was also in the red on reports that it faces a $13bn claim over allegations related to mis-sold mortgage-backed securities.

Mining stocks trimmed earlier losses but still finished lower with heavyweights BHP Billiton, Glencore and Anglo American ending in the red. Anglo was also making headlines on rumours that it could cut up to 20% of its workforce at head offices worldwide.

BT edged lower after Ofcom said that it has fined the telecom group’s takeover target EE £1m for failing to comply with its rules on handling customer complaints.

Industrial stocks finished with losses, including engine maker Rolls-Royce and technology outfit Smiths Group. Meanwhile, real estate stocks were performing well, with British Land, Hammerson, Intu Properties and Land Securities all among the risers.

Market Movers
techMARK 3,114.35 -0.63%
FTSE 100 6,585.78 -0.67%
FTSE 250 17,613.46 -0.41%

FTSE 100 - Risers
Ashtead Group (AHT) 1,074.00p +1.42%
Land Securities Group (LAND) 1,249.00p +1.38%
Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 4,260.00p +1.24%
British Land Company (BLND) 807.00p +0.75%
Barratt Developments (BDEV) 639.50p +0.71%
TUI AG Reg Shs (DI) (TUI) 1,050.00p +0.67%
Hammerson (HMSO) 630.50p +0.64%
Pearson (PSON) 1,221.00p +0.49%
St James's Place (STJ) 921.50p +0.49%
Capita (CPI) 1,268.00p +0.48%

FTSE 100 - Fallers
Smiths Group (SMIN) 1,134.00p -2.41%
Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 856.50p -2.28%
Standard Chartered (STAN) 1,031.00p -2.14%
Vodafone Group (VOD) 231.10p -2.03%
Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets (MRW) 176.60p -2.00%
BHP Billiton (BLT) 1,248.50p -1.89%
Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 359.30p -1.86%
Anglo American (AAL) 902.40p -1.72%
Sports Direct International (SPD) 717.50p -1.71%
United Utilities Group (UU.) 882.50p -1.56%

FTSE 250 - Risers
Auto Trader Group (AUTO) 319.70p +4.37%
Indivior (INDV) 234.00p +2.90%
UDG Healthcare Public Limited Company (UDG) 514.50p +2.29%
IMI (IMI) 1,174.00p +2.09%
Telecom Plus (TEP) 1,020.00p +1.80%
Workspace Group (WKP) 914.50p +1.55%
Evraz (EVR) 115.50p +1.40%
Entertainment One Limited (ETO) 372.10p +1.39%
Clarkson (CKN) 2,787.00p +1.35%
Acacia Mining (ACA) 294.80p +1.31%

FTSE 250 - Fallers
Hunting (HTG) 543.50p -4.98%
Tullow Oil (TLW) 333.60p -4.69%
AO World (AO.) 132.00p -4.62%
Brown (N.) Group (BWNG) 339.80p -4.07%
Fidelity China Special Situations (FCSS) 146.80p -3.42%
Premier Oil (PMO) 144.60p -3.41%
Euromoney Institutional Investor (ERM) 1,189.00p -3.33%
Just Eat (JE.) 389.30p -3.28%
Just Retirement Group (JRG) 172.40p -2.87%
Morgan Advanced Materials (MGAM) 317.40p -2.79%