The FTSE 100 stepped back from its recent record-breaking spell on Monday, finishing in the red following a broadly cautious trading session.
The index opened slightly higher but dipped as traders saw an opportunity to sell stocks and take profit after hitting a fresh all-time high at the end of last week.
London’s top index finished 18.77 points, or 0.22%, lower to end the day at 8,446.46.
AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould said: “The FTSE 100 was probably due a pause after a breathless period which has seen it mark record after record – and Monday saw the index take a seat.”
Elsewhere in Europe, the picture was broadly similar across the other major indexes, with weaker commodity prices and below-par Chinese economic data from the weekend acting as drags.
The German Dax index was…
