LONDON – Europe’s major markets were in retreat in mid-morning trading on Friday, with the FTSE MIB in Milan leading the way.
The Italian market was down 0.7 percent to 22,049.75, followed by the FTSE 100 in London, 0.3 percent to 7,364.49, and the CAC 40 in Paris, 0.2 percent to 5,324.46. The DAX in Frankfurt dipped 0.1 percent to 13,032.59.
The euro traded at $1.18, while the pound fetched $1.32, and the Swiss franc equaled $1.01 at 11:30 a.m. CET.
Retail and luxury stocks were uneven, with the morning’s biggest gainers including Boohoo.com, 4.2 percent to 1.98 pounds; Italia Independent Group, 2.3 percent to 4.55 euros; Mulberry Group, 3.4 percent to 10.74 pounds, and Debenhams, 2 percent to 0.39 pounds.
Among the stocks that lost the most ground were Superdry parent SuperGroup, 1.6 percent to 19.37 pounds; MySale Group, 4.1 percent to 1.11 pounds, and Brunello Cucinelli, 1.5 percent to 26.53 euros.