FTSE Ends Lower for 4th Day

LONDON: Britain's top share index ended in negative territory for a fourth consecutive session on Friday as weakness in commodity stocks and banks outweighed gains from defensive pharmaceuticals.

The FTSE 100 ended down 16.29 points, or 0.3 per cent, at 5,251.41 points, the lowest close since November 10. It ended down 1.4 per cent on Thursday, its biggest one-day fall for three weeks. The index is still up 52 per cent from a March low.

"Sentiment appears to have started to shift slightly away from further gains, and towards a possible rebound in the US dollar, as investors start to take money off the table and become slightly more risk averse," Michael Hewson, analyst at CMC Markets.