(For a live blog on European stocks, type LIVE/ in an Eikonnews window)
* FTSE 100 down 0.4 pct
* Retail stocks lead losses
* Moss Bros sinks 20 pct after profit warning
* Kingfisher bottom of FTSE 100
* FTSE 350 Retailers index lowest since Brexit
By Tom Pfeiffer
Share declines accelerated after data showed Britishworkers' pay had risen at the fastest pace in nearly two and ahalf years. That pushed up the value of the pound and hit sharesin big multinationals and exporters.
Any end to the long squeeze on
Formal clothing chain Moss Bros lost a fifth of its marketvalue after a profit warning it blamed on supply chain problemsand fewer customers in its stores. Home improvement chainKingfisher also reported a recent deterioration in trading.
The FTSE 100 index was down 0.53 percent at 1028GMT, with Kingfisher falling 8 percent to its lowest level sinceNovember. Among other retailers, clothing chain Next wasdown 1.2 percent and Primark owner ABF fell 1.1 percent.
After holding steady in January and February,
Underscoring the increasing power of online retail,
Multinationals such as BAT, Diageo andUnilever helped pull down the FTSE as the pound rose0.4 percent against the dollar following the wage growthnumbers.
Morgan Stanley strategists had been forecasting strong datathat would pave the way for the Bank of
"It has been well established that a number of Bank of
Investors were also awaiting the conclusion of a