FTSE 100 Slides Amid Rise In Pound BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks edged lower on Friday as the pound strengthened in reaction to upbeat retail sales and PMI data released earlier in the day. The benchmark FTSE 100 dropped 22 points, or 0.3 percent, to 6,916 after closing 0.6 percent higher on Thursday. Exporters were moving lower, with British American Tobacco and Diageo falling about 1 percent amid sterling's strength. BP Plc fell over 1 percent and Royal Dutch Shell was down 0.7 percent despite oil prices increasing in the world markets. Senior Plc shares fell 2.2 percent after the company said trading for the three months ended March 2021 has been in line with expectations.