Investing.com – U.K. stocks were lower after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Forestry & Paper, Life Insurance/Assurance and Oil & Gas Producers sectors led shares lower.
At the close in London, the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 fell 3.14% to hit a new 52-week low.
The best performers of the session on the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 were Randgold Resources Ltd (LON:RRS), which rose 2.73% or 174.00 points to trade at 6556.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Fresnillo PLC (LON:FRES) added 1.08% or 8.40 points to end at 783.00 and Intu Properties PLC (LON:INTUP) was up 0.32% or 0.35 points to 111.30 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Old Mutual Ltd (LON:OMU), which fell 7.56% or 9.54 points to trade at 116.66 at the close. Antofagasta PLC (LON:ANTO) declined 7.07% or 57.80 points to end at 760.00 and Prudential PLC (LON:PRU) was down 6.28% or 94.50 points to 1410.00.
Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the London Stock Exchange by 1847 to 273 and 240 ended unchanged.
Shares in Prudential PLC (LON:PRU) fell to 52-week lows; down 6.28% or 94.50 to 1410.00.
Gold Futures for February delivery was up 0.33% or 4.10 to $1246.70 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in January fell 3.40% or 1.80 to hit $51.09 a barrel, while the February Brent oil contract fell 3.43% or 2.11 to trade at $59.45 a barrel.
GBP/USD was up 0.30% to 1.2772, while EUR/GBP rose 0.01% to 0.8910.
The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.29% at 96.725.