By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch
LONDON (MarketWatch)--The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index closed at its
weakest level in almost seven weeks Thursday, with shares of Next
PLC among biggest decliners after a disappointing earnings
report.
The FTSE 100 index lost 0.5% to end at 6,799.62, marking the
lowest closing level since late August.
The losses in London reflected an overall weakness in Europe and
the U.S., where details of fresh sanctions on Russia and
worse-than-expected U.S. weekly jobless claims bruised the
investing mood.
Scottish referendum: The FTSE started out in positive territory
on Thursday after a poll showed a lead for the camp against
Scottish independence, calming fears of a breakup of the union.
According to a poll for the Daily Record, 53% of the voters prefer
Scotland to remain in the U.K., giving the pro-union camp a
six-point lead over the "yes" campaign.
Over the weekend, a YouGov poll had indicated a majority of
voters would support a separation. The uncertainty on the future of
the U.K. sent the pound and stocks sharply lower on Monday, but
sterling rebounded (GBPUSD) to $1.6224 on Thursday, from $1.6202
Wednesday afternoon in New York.
Movers: Shares of Next posted one of the biggest losses in the
FTSE, down 3% after the fashion retailer posted earnings that were
a bit worse than expected.
Shares of Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC (RBS) added 1.1%
after the bank said it would relocate its holding company to
England in case of a "yes" vote for an independent Scotland.
Lloyds Banking Group PLC (LYG) also said it would move to
England if the union is broken, sending the shares 1.2% higher.
Shares of Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC inched 0.7% higher after
the food retailer reported a drop in first-half profit, but raised
its dividend and confirmed its full-year guidance.
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