Financial stocks drag FTSE 100 lower; DS Smith outperforms

London's FTSE 100 index edged lower on Tuesday, weighed down by banks and brokerages, while DS Smith jumped to the top of the index after an upbeat trading update. The blue-chip index fell 0.3%, with shares of banking and investment banking and brokerage services providers shedding 0.8% and 0.6%, respectively. Heavyweight oil majors BP and Royal Dutch Shell slipped about 0.4% as oil prices remained muted amid fears over slower demand.

London's FTSE 100 index edged lower on Tuesday, weighed down by banks and brokerages, while DS Smith jumped to the top of the index after an upbeat trading update. The blue-chip index fell 0.3%, with shares of banking and investment banking and brokerage services providers shedding 0.8% and 0.6%, respectively.

Heavyweight oil majors BP and Royal Dutch Shell slipped about 0.4% as oil prices remained muted amid fears over slower demand. The domestically focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index was flat.

DS Smith gained 3.3% as J.P.Morgan raised its price target on the cardboard maker's stock after it said trading continued to progress well in line with the trends. TP ICAP Group Plc fell 4.6% after the world's largest inter-dealer broker reported a lower half-year profit as market volatility eased.