BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks fell modestly on Friday as the pound edged up against the euro on optimism over a faster rollout of vaccines and official data showed that Britain's economy contracted at a slower than expected pace in November.
Gross domestic product shrank 2.6 percent month on month in November but slower than the 5.7 percent fall economists' had forecast.
The decline reversed a 0.6 percent rise posted in October. The economy contracted in November after rising for six straight months.
The benchmark FTSE 100 dropped 30 points, or half a percent, to 6,772 after rising 0.8 percent in the previous session.
Babcock International shares plunged as much as 18 percent after the defense firm said profits had suffered a 'negative impact' from civil nuclear insourcing.
Investment manager Ashmore Group rose 0.9 percent after its assets under management (AUM) rose by $7.5bn in the second quarter.
Information technology company AVEVA surged 6.3 percent after saying it remains confident in the full year outlook.
Pharmaceutical company Indivior jumped 9 percent after raising its annual revenue forecast.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX