London stocks dip on faltering China data; easyJet slumps

London-listed shares retreated on Friday as a surprise dip in Chinese retail sales dashed hopes for a swift post-pandemic recovery, taking the shine off a strong week of stock market gains that were powered by bets of more stimulus.

London-listed shares retreated on Friday as a surprise dip in Chinese retail sales dashed hopes for a swift post-pandemic recovery, taking the shine off a strong week of stock market gains that were powered by bets of more stimulus. The blue-chip FTSE 100 was down 0.4%, with investors also treading water ahead of a weekend meeting between Chinese and U.S. officials to review progress on their Phase 1 trade pact.

The mid-cap FTSE 250 was off 0.5%, led by a 1.5% decline for travel stocks as the UK moved to quarantine travellers from France, the Netherlands, Malta and three other countries due to the surge in COVID-19 cases. Banks, energy and aero-related stocks also pulled back after leading gains all week.

Airline easyJet Plc slumped 6.5% as the company said it would continue to assess further funding opportunities after raising an extra $266 million from the sale and leaseback of aircraft.