FTSE 100 loses ground as exporters slip, Rolls-Royce topples

Britain's top share index edged lower on Friday as exporter stocks weakened on the back of a firmer sterling, driven by rising hopes of a Brexit deal, and Rolls-Royce tumbled after longer-than-expected repairs of its Trent 1000 engines. The FTSE 100 slipped 0.3% by 0715 GMT, while the domestically-focussed FTSE 250 index inched 0.2% higher.

Hopes of a Brexit deal after European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Thursday that one was possible, helped the pound extend overnight gains against the dollar to a two-month high. Dollar-earners such as Unilever and HSBC weighed on the main index.

Rolls-Royce lost 3.3% after the engine-maker said it expects problems with its Trent 1000 engines to take longer to fix.

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