Despite being one of the few bright spots in a year marred by economic concerns and political unrest, the blue-chip FTSE 100 index in the UK edged lower as defensive industries like healthcare and consumer staples fell.
The FTSE 100, which includes a number of exporters, fell 0. 4% but was still on track to increase by more than 1% in 2018. A 19% annual decline was projected for the more domestically exposed FTSE 250, which was expected to end the year sharply lower. The mid-cap index was down 0.1%.