UK stocks opened lower on Friday, led by miners on worries over weak China demand outlook, while data showed domestic retail sales fell more than expected in July.
The exporter-heavy FTSE 100 fell 0.4% in early trade, while the pound declined 0.15% to $1.2728 right after the data.
The mid-cap FTSE 250 was down 0.4%.
British retail sales volumes last month were 1.2% lower than in June, as heavy rain put off shoppers, while economists polled by Reuters had forecast a decline of 0.5%.
On an annual basis, retail sales were 3.2% lower than a year earlier, compared with economists’ forecasts for a 2.1% decline.
Industrial metal miners fell 1.0%, leading sectoral declines.
Embattled developer China Evergrande Group has filed for bankruptcy protection in a US court, as anxiety grows over China’s worsening property crisis and a weakening economy.
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