UK shares edged lower on Thursday, after hitting 22-month highs in the previous session, as a surge of COVID-19 cases offset optimism around a "Santa Claus rally" in thin year-end trading.
The FTSE 100 fell 0.2% by 0807 GMT, with declines in financial and energy stocks weighing on the blue-chip index, while the domestically focussed mid-cap index was flat.
The UK reported a record 183,037 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, over 53,000 more than the previous high registered just a day earlier, with the Omicron variant accounting for 90% of all community infections.
Banks reversed the previous session's gains to fall 0.2%, while life insurance stocks declined 0.3% on the blue-chip index.
Oil majors BP and Royal Dutch Shell fell nearly 0.4% each after top consumer China cut import quotas.
Weaker travel and leisure stocks, down 0.6%, capped gains on the domestic FTSE 250 index.
British house prices rose by a stronger-than-expected 1.0% in December from November, capping the biggest full-year rise in prices since 2006, figures from mortgage lender Nationwide showed on Thursday.
UK markets will close early on Friday for the New Year's Eve holiday.
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