LONDON: British stocks closed lower on Friday on continued worries about the economic impact of US tariff policy, while a shutdown of Heathrow Airport pressured travel stocks.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 was down 0.6%. The mid-cap FTSE 250 index declined 0.9%.
Despite the day’s losses, the blue-chip index rose 0.3% this week. The mid-cap index snapped four weeks of losses, rising 0.5%.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Heathrow said it had begun the process of reopening, after a fire knocked out its power supply and shut Europe’s busiest airport for the day.
The shutdown weighed on airline and travel stocks globally, though stocks pared some losses after the reopening announcement.
British Airways owner IAG fell as much as 4.2% and closed 1.9% lower.
The travel and leisure sector fell nearly 2%.
This week’s sentiments were primarily influenced by central bank decisions, with policymakers globally flagging concerns driven by US tariff policy.
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