FX.co ★ UK Stocks End Marginally Down

The FTSE 100 experienced a slight decline, closing at 9,208 on Friday, after three consecutive sessions of gains. This performance mirrored trends seen in other European and US markets. A US jobs report that fell short of expectations raised hopes for potential interest rate cuts but also heightened worries about a slowdown in the US economy. In the UK, retail sales surpassed expectations by increasing 0.6% month-on-month in July, compared to the anticipated 0.2% rise. Further data from Halifax revealed house prices increased 0.3% in August, exceeding forecasts of a 0.1% rise. Within the corporate sector, Admiral Group fell 3% after a downgrade from ‘reduce’ to ‘sell’ by Peel Hunt. Losses were also observed in the banking and energy sectors. Conversely, Entain spearheaded gains, appreciating by 3.4%, while housebuilder Berkeley advanced by 3%, reaffirming its full-year profit outlook after experiencing "stable" trading in the first four months of its fiscal year. Overall, the FTSE 100 posted a weekly gain of 0.2%.