BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks drifted lower on Thursday, with escalating tensions between the United States and China over the South China Sea keeping investors nervous.
Investors also looked ahead to a speech by the U.S. Federal Reserve chairman later today for clues on any likely changes to U.S. monetary policy.
The benchmark FTSE 100 dropped half a percent to 6,017 after edging up 0.1 percent the previous day.
WPP, the world's largest advertising group by sales, jumped nearly 5 percent as it returned to paying dividends after cost cuts and a switch to faster ad production.
Aerospace giant Rolls Royce Holdings slumped 6 percent after posting a hefty underlying loss for the half-year ended 30 June 2020.
Recruitment company Hays fell about 1 percent after posting lower profits for the full year.
Grafton Group shares surged 5.6 percent. The building materials supplier said that it emerged in a strong position from the Covid-19 lockdown and based on current trends the Group expects to deliver a similar level of adjusted operating profit in the second half to the comparable period last year.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX