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FTSE slips on oil, but set for best week this year

Published 19/02/2016, 12:52
© Reuters. People walk through the lobby of the London Stock Exchange in London
UK100
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By Kit Rees

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top share index fell on Friday as energy stocks came under pressure again from dropping oil prices, though the index stayed on track for its best week since October.

The benchmark FTSE 100 index fell 0.6 percent to 5,937.98 points by 1227 GMT after hitting a two-week high in the previous session. It is up 4 percent so far this week.

Investors kept a close eye on an EU summit that had reached no deal by Friday morning on reforms that British Prime Minister David Cameron says he needs to campaign for a 'yes' vote in a referendum on whether to stay in the EU.

"The political risks are hard to price in at the moment... There is clearly little appetite in building fresh long and/or short positions before more clarity on the issue," Ipek Ozkardeskaya, analyst at London Capital Group, said.

The UK Oil and Gas index fell more than 1 percent, the top sectoral decliner, putting pressure on the broader UK stock market.

Some were booking profits following this week's strong gains.

"We've (had) a very strong rally, a fair bit of short-covering no doubt ... However, now the market is looking to consolidate and regain some form of direction from here," Dafydd Davies, partner at Charles Hanover Investments, said.

Bucking Friday's trend, shares in bottling company Coca-Cola HBC rose 2.2 percent after it reported a profit lift following a return to growth for the first time in five years in its established markets.

© Reuters. People walk through the lobby of the London Stock Exchange in London

Engineering company Essentra, a mid-cap company supplying specialty plastic and packaging components, gained 6.8 percent after strong full-year results.

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