LONDON MARKETS: FTSE Down On Retail Data, Losses For HSBC, RBS

By Carla Mozee, MarketWatch

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.K stocks fell slightly on Thursday, weighed by bank losses and by declines for miners, led by Fresnillo PLC.

Economic data also weighed on the index, after retail sales rose by a bigger-than-expected amount. That raised the prospect of a sooner-than-expected rate hike, which drove the British pound higher.

The FTSE 100 index gave up 0.3% to close at 6,588.32, with shares of all metals producers struggling. Rio Tinto PLC (RIO) fell 0.9%, and Glencore Xstrata PLC (GLNCY) lost 1.3% after the company said it will close one of its Australian coal mines this year.

Continued operations at the Ravensworth site are "no longer financially viable" in part because of lower prices and high production costs at the mine, according to a statement from Glencore obtained by Dow Jones Newswires.

Silver miner Fresnillo slid 4%, as prices of the precious metal fell 0.4% to $19.70 an ounce.

Banks faced news that the U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday rejected the capital plans for the U.S. arms of HSBC Holding PLC and Royal Bank of Scotland Group , meaning payments to their foreign parents will be restricted to last year's levels. HSBC shares fell 0.5%, and RBS lost 1.4%.

The Fed created risk-assessment tests for financial institutions after the global financial crisis.

"We have been working closely with our regulators on our first [Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review] capital plan submission. The Fed requires us to improve our process, and we will do so," said HSBC in a statement Wednesday.

The Fed also nixed Citigroup Inc.'s (C) capital plan, saying the company didn't make sufficient progress in improving risk-management and control practices.

The U.K. government reported that retail sales rose in February, with sales volumes up 1.7% on the month, and up by 3.7% on a year-over-basis, surpassing expectations.

The British pound (GBPUSD) jumped above $1.66 against the U.S. dollar after the data, on the view that rates could be rising sooner than expected. Related retail stocks fell, with Kingfisher PLC and Burberry Group PLC each down more than 1%.

The Confederation of British Industry on Thursday said the U.K. economy is expanding, but the pace of growth in March hit an eight-month low. It expects further increases in business and consumer confidence as well as recovery in earnings, although renewed risks in the euro zone may be among the global developments that pose a risk to U.K. growth.

"Although our direct trade and financial links with the Ukraine and Russia are relatively small, the crisis could have potential implications for global commodity prices, which may impact inflation in the U.K," said Anna Leach, head of economic analysis at CBI, in a statement.

Also on Thursday, the U.K. regulator overseeing the electricity and gas markets called for an investigation over concerns about stalled competition. Shares of British Gas owner Centrica PLC reversed course and rose nearly 0.7%, but SSE PLC stretched losses to 2%.

The FTSE 100 remained lower after an upward revision in U.S. fourth-quarter growth, to an annual rate of 2.6% from 2.4%. The U.S. government data did show that an increase in business investment was revised lower, stemming from a decline in spending on structures such as office buildings.

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