London stocks open lower on miners, energy drag; AstraZeneca slips

UK's resource-heavy benchmark index opened lower on Monday, dragged down by miners and energy stocks, with AstraZeneca slipping on a report on the drugmaker's plans to spin off its China business.

The resource-heavy FTSE 100 was down 0.5% at 0721 GMT, while the FTSE 250 mid-cap index fell 0.4%. Miners and energy stocks fell 1% and 0.7%, respectively, on lower metals and crude oil prices amid uncertainties around top consumer China.

AstraZeneca fell 1% on a Financial Times' report saying the company plans to spin off its China business and is considering a separate unit listing in Hong Kong, while Coca-Cola HBC AG fell 2% after it said it will buy Finlandia vodka brand owner Brown-Forman Finland Oy for $220 million. Investors will closely monitor key readings on domestic inflation due Wednesday to gauge the path for monetary policy just a day ahead of the Bank of England's (BoE) rate decision.