SHARES in B&Q owner Kingfisher tumbled after a bigger-than-expected fall in quarterly profits.
The decline, which came amid poor trading in France, caused the stock to fall four per cent.
Meanwhile the wider FTSE 100 Index was little changed - up 1.4 points at 6731.1 - as heavyweight miners such as BHP Billiton and Anglo American fell nearly two per cent after their boost from the surprise cut in Chinese interest rates started to fade.
In Europe, France's Cac 40 was also flat while Germany's Dax was ahead after economic data confirming it avoided recession with 0.1 per cent growth in the third quarter, driven by a sharp rise in private consumption.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was flat despite an upward revision to third-quarter growth data, with separate figures showing a fall in consumer confidence weighing on sentiment.
Meanwhile remarks by Bank of England governor Mark Carney that interest rates would rise more slowly than previously thought because of global headwinds did little to change the market expectations shaping currency movements. Sterling was narrowly higher against the greenback at just over 1.57 US dollars and a little behind against the euro at just under 1.26 euros.
In equities, BHP Billiton was down 27.5p to 1593.5p while Anglo American fell 24.5p to 1329.5p.
Oilfield services firm Petrofac recovered a fraction after a profits warning in the previous session knocked more than a quarter off its market value. The stock climbed nearly two per cent or 13.5p to 891p.
Telecoms giant BT gained for a second session in a row after it revealed it was in "highly preliminary" talks with O2 and another operator, understood to be EE, to buy a UK mobile network.
Shares rose almost four per cent on Monday and were up by 1.7p to 395.8p yesterday as a note from Barclays highlighted the potential cross-selling benefits from any such deal. Rival Sky was also higher, up 23p to 918p.
In the retail sector, shares in Kingfisher slid by 12.5p to 291.3p after it reported an 11.8 per cent fall in retail profits to £225 million for the 13 weeks to November 1. The decline came despite continued strong trading at its Screwfix division in the UK.
Outside the top flight, shares in JD Sports Fashion lifted four per cent or 16.7p to 466p as investors cheered the disposal of its loss-making Bank fashion business to restructuring firm Hilco. It said the remainder of its businesses were trading in line with expectations.
Meanwhile, shares in online retailer AO World rose after it reported more strong trading figures from its UK division. The stock climbed 0.3p to 217.3p.
The biggest risers in the FTSE 100 were Sky up 23p to 918p, Royal Bank of Scotland up 8.2p to 387.1p and ITV up 4.2p to 209.2p. The biggest fallers were Sainsbury's down 10.9p to 241.4p, Kingfisher down 12.5p to 291.3p and Morrisons down 5.9p to 181.1p.
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