In company news, Standard Chartered told investors it made a record amount of income last year after benefiting from stronger activity in its wealth and global markets divisions.
London’s top equity index was treading water on Friday despite a strong session for bank stocks, while new official figures showed the UK had a record surplus in public sector finances in January.
Time Out magazine reported weaker revenues for the second half of last year, down a fifth compared with the same period last year, with economic uncertainty hampering its ability to strike advertising deals.
Meanwhile, new official figures showed there was a public sector net borrowing surplus of £15.4 billion last month, the largest since monthly records began.
It was a weak start to trading over in New York, with the S&P 500 down about 0.6%, and Dow Jones 0.9% lower by the time European markets closed.
