FTSE 100 movers: Miners retreat on trade news; Hiscox recovers
London's FTSE 100 was down 0.5% at 7,368.60 in afternoon trade on Friday as hopes of a trade deal between the US and China faded.
Miners were on the back foot following reports that the Trump administration is divided over a proposal to remove some US tariffs on China. Rio Tinto and Anglo American were both trading lower.
Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: "Mixed messages regarding the US/China trade war have left investors frustrated, leading to a down day for the markets.
"Having enjoyed a bounce yesterday on reports that the US and China were going to strike a deal, the miners today take a step back."
Steelmaker Evraz and precious metals miner Fresnillo were also weaker, while Hikma Pharmaceuticals fell for the second day in a row following a trading statement on Thursday.
On the upside, Hiscox advanced following heavy losses earlier in the week after the release of a third-quarter trading update and following a downgrade by JPMorgan Cazenove.
Canaccord Genuity upped its stance on shares of the insurer on Friday, saying the share price reaction to the update was "overdone".
FTSE 100 - Risers
Hiscox Limited (DI) (HSX) 1,277.11p 1.84%
DCC (DCC) 7,496.00p 1.52%
Centrica (CNA) 72.30p 1.40%
London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) 6,834.00p 1.30%
Unilever (ULVR) 4,692.50p 0.82%
Severn Trent (SVT) 2,215.00p 0.73%
National Grid (NG.) 891.90p 0.63%
British American Tobacco (BATS) 2,882.50p 0.61%
Sage Group (SGE) 734.60p 0.46%
Associated British Foods (ABF) 2,440.00p 0.37%
FTSE 100 - Fallers
Ocado Group (OCDO) 1,219.00p -4.84%
NMC Health (NMC) 2,301.00p -4.44%
Evraz (EVR) 372.90p -3.27%
Burberry Group (BRBY) 2,055.00p -2.97%
Fresnillo (FRES) 663.80p -2.90%
Intertek Group (ITRK) 5,254.00p -2.41%
Rio Tinto (RIO) 4,229.50p -2.38%
Auto Trader Group (AUTO) 534.80p -2.23%
Anglo American (AAL) 2,061.00p -2.18%
Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 1,900.50p -2.14%