BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks edged lower on Tuesday as the return of restrictions in California as well as rising U.S.-China tensions dented investors' appetite for risk.
As global coronavirus infections surged past 13 million, the WHO warned that 'the virus remains public enemy number one' and the pandemic could get far worse if countries around the world do not follow basic healthcare precautions.
GDP data for May also disappointed markets. Data showed the British economy saw only a slight rebound in the month after the historic fall caused by the shutdown from the coronavirus pandemic.
Gross domestic product grew 1.8 percent in May from April, when it was down 20.3 percent. However, this was weaker than the expected growth of 5.5 percent. The dominant service sector grew 0.9 percent after contracting 18.9 percent.
The benchmark FTSE 100 dropped 20 points, or 0.32 percent, to 6,156 after climbing 1.3 percent on Monday.
Online supermarket Ocado Group declined 1.1 percent as it reported first-half loss before tax of 40.6 million pounds.
Anglo American and Glencore fell around 1.5 percent as copper ended a six-day winning streak.
Halma slumped 5.5 percent. After reporting record annual profit and revenue, the company warned that profit for FY2021 will fall.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX