LONDON: Britain's top shares index slipped on Thursday, as weaker healthcare stocks weighed on the market, taking the shine off a rise in insurer Admiral.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed down 0.3 percent at 6,130.46 points. The index is down around 2 percent since the start of 2016, and 14 percent below an April 2015 record high.
Healthcare stocks such as GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca fell after credit rating agency Moody's cut its outlook on the global pharmaceuticals industry.
Shares in Whitbread - the company behind Premier Inn and Costa Coffee - fell 6.2 percent after a weak fourth quarter performance, while a cautious outlook hit the shares of satellite group Inmarsat.
Insurer Admiral Group was the best performer on the FTSE 100, rising 9 percent to record highs after posting better-than-expected results. .
Aerospace engineering group Rolls Royce also rose 5.3 percent, lifted by a price target upgrade from investment bank Jefferies.
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