London equities slipped at the close on Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 down 0.09% as losses in fixed-line telecommunications, automobiles and parts, and software and computer services sectors outweighed gains elsewhere.
JD Sports Fashion led advancers, climbing 3% to 87.86, followed by British American Tobacco, which added 2.54% to 4,238. Sage Group led decliners, falling 3.3% to 1,068, while WPP dropped 2.78% to 381.30 and Compass Group shed 2.34% to 30.08.
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by 950 to 719, with 586 stocks unchanged. The broader London market showed mixed breadth as commodity-linked and defensive sectors lagged.
Commodities traded mixed. Gold futures for December delivery fell 0.83% to $4,655.36 per troy ounce, while Brent crude for November delivery rose 0.57% to $87.77 a barrel. October WTI crude gained 0.58% to $82.84.
The British pound weakened 0.39% against the dollar to 1.36, while the euro held steady versus sterling at 0.86. The U.S. Dollar Index futures advanced 0.25% to 99.08.
