FTSE 100 slips as stronger pound, energy stocks weigh

div classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivpReuters – Londons FTSE 100 slipped on Thursday, on track to snap five straight weeks of gains, as energy stocks fell and a stronger pound hit shares of large dollarearning companies, while retailer Dunelm gained following a positive trading update.p

pThe bluechip index fell 0.2, with oil majors BP and Shell down 0.3 each on weaker crude prices. [OR]pdivdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodiv

pDrugmakers AstraZenca and GlaxoSmithKline fell, while internationally focused Unilever, Diageo and British American Tobacco all eased more than 0.3 as sterling moved higher .[GBP]p

pThe domestically focused midcap FTSE 250 index was flat. p

pDunelm rose 2 after its total sales jumped in the third quarter as the homeware retailer benefited from the reopening of stores.p

pBoth the UK benchmark indexes were set for weekly fall as disappointing data and an escalating RussiaUkraine crisis stoked concerns about economic outlook.p

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pp Reporting by Devik Jain in Bengaluru Editing by Subhranshu Sahup

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