Energy stocks drag FTSE 100 lower ahead of Jackson Hole

The FTSE 100 slipped on Wednesday, weighed by a sell-off in stocks ranging from energy to consumer staples and financials, while investor attention turned to an annual central bankers' conference later in the week.

The FTSE 100 slipped on Wednesday, weighed by a sell-off in stocks ranging from energy to consumer staples and financials, while investor attention turned to an annual central bankers' conference later in the week. The commodity-heavy FTSE 100 was down 0.2%, with BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, British American Tobacco Plc and HSBC Holdings Plc among the top drags.

The benchmark index has struggled to build on a strong start to the week as signs of a sluggish economic rebound overshadowed optimism around COVID-19 vaccines and U.S.-China trade. All eyes are now on U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's address at the virtual Jackson Hole Symposium on Thursday. Doorstep lender Provident Financial jumped 8.3% even as it sank to a loss in the first half of 2020 and suspended its interim dividend. Its shares have more than halved in value this year.

The mid-cap FTSE 250 was flat in early trading.