Hot U.K. Inflation Data Drag on London Stocks, Leading Europe Trading Lower

Hotter-than-expected U.K. inflation data appeared to be weighing on London trading on Wednesday, as European indexes more widely came under pressure amid a continuation of downbeat global sentiment that has reigned this week. London’s FTSE 100 shed 0.5% while the Paris CAC 40 lost 0.1%. The U.K. consumer-price index (CPI) for July rose 6.8% annually, above expectations of 6.7% price-growth among economists surveyed by FactSet.