FTSE 100: Market Sell-Off Resumes; UK Retail Sales Fall

The FTSE 100 fell 0.5% on Friday as a broader market sell-off resumed, mirroring declines across Europe and following a reversal in U.S. equities overnight.

Germany’s DAX dropped 1%, while France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.6%, extending the cautious tone that has dominated global markets this week.

The move lower comes after U.S. stocks closed in the red on Thursday, dragging sentiment across sectors. A wide range of London-listed companies opened weaker, with JD Sports and Glencore among those down 2% or more in early trading.

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Fresnillo, Antofagasta and Polar Capital Technology were the FTSE 100’s biggest losers as investors rotated away from risk-sensitive stocks.

Defence contractor Babcock International also slipped 3%, despite reporting a 19% rise in underlying half-year profits. The decline underscored the broader risk-off mood weighing on the index.

Rentokil emerged as the strongest performer, rising 1.5%. Other defensive or consumer-focused names, including Unilever, Tesco and London Stock Exchange Group, advanced more than 1% as investors sought relative stability.

Economic data added further pressure to the outlook. U.K. retail sales volumes fell sharply as households trimmed spending ahead of Black Friday. Retail sales dropped 1.1% in October, the Office for National Statistics said, a larger-than-forecast decline and the steepest month-on-month fall since May.

The drop compared with the upwardly revised growth of 0.7% in September, highlighting a clear pullback in consumer demand as economic uncertainty continues to weigh on household budgets.