BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. shares fell on Tuesday as global growth worries resurfaced and Prime Minister Theresa May's much-anticipated 'plan B' on Brexit looked like a tweaked version of her Plan A, which suffered a historic parliamentary defeat last week.
The IMF once again cut its global growth forecasts, citing the threat of a trade war, stalled Brexit talks and slowing Chinese growth.
The benchmark FTSE 100 was down 22 points or 0.31 percent at 6,948 in opening deals after closing slightly higher on Monday.
Online trading platform IG Group slumped 7 percent after reporting declines in first-half profit and revenue.
Kier Group gained about 1 percent. Its Chief Executive, Haydn Mursell, is leaving the business with immediate effect after a failed emergency fundraising by the construction group.
Cairn Energy advanced 1.6 percent. The company said that it expects a final international arbitration decision on India claim in the near term and it remains confident of its position.
Low-cost airline EasyJet soared 5 percent. The company's expectations for the full year headline profit before tax remain broadly in line with current market expectations.
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