Banks, miners pull down FTSE 100; Entain top gainer

The owner of Ladbrokes and Coral brands rose 2.2% after it reported an 11% rise in first-half net gaming revenue and said it was doubling investment in its game development studios. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index dropped 0.9%, dragged down by a 1.3% fall in big banks as they tracked weaker bond yields.

London's FTSE 100 fell on Thursday, weighed down by weakness in heavyweight financials and miners, while online betting firm Entain was the top gainer on strong earnings and corporate updates. The owner of Ladbrokes and Coral brands rose 2.2% after it reported an 11% rise in first-half net gaming revenue and said it was doubling investment in its game development studios.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index dropped 0.9%, dragged down by a 1.3% fall in big banks as they tracked weaker bond yields. Precious metal miners and homebuilders fell 1.7% and 1.5%, respectively. British homebuilder Persimmon Plc was down 2.2% even after it reported higher half-year revenue and said it expected housing demand to remain robust.

Fewer homes were put up for sale and buyer demand grew less fast ahead of the end of a tax break on property purchases, an industry survey showed. The domestically focussed mid-cap index fell 0.4%.