London top index took a step back on Wednesday from a month-high, as metal stocks were dented by slumping gold prices.

It came amid a weaker session from commodity firms, while a negative reception to updates from Experian (EXPN.L) and Imperial Brands (IMB.L) also proved to be a drag.

The FTSE 100 (^FTSE) finished down by 0.21%, or 17.91 points, to close at 8,585.01.

It comes ahead of key UK economic growth figures on Thursday morning, which are expected to show a 0.6% increase in GDP over the first quarter.

The other major European markets also drifted further into the red during trading on Thursday.

The Cac 40 (^FCHI) ended 0.47% lower for the day and the Dax (^GDAXI) index was down 0.57%.

Stateside, US equities had a mixed start to trading, with tech-focused Nasdaq (^IXIC) starting slightly higher, as it benefited from rises for Nvidia (NVDA) and AMD (AMD).

Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, said: “Investors continue to pile back into US markets, but European markets have seen some losses today.

“Having returned to record highs, the Dax looks vulnerable to some short-term selling, while the FTSE 100 seems to have a ceiling for the time being around 8600.

“Nonetheless, the tariff truce and cooling inflation should continue to underpin gains for stocks in the weeks to come.”

Meanwhile, sterling was a touch lower at the close after early gains against the dollar were entirely wiped out.

The pound was 0.06% lower at 1.329 US dollars and was down 0.14% at 1.187 euro when London’s markets closed.Burberry shares were much higher after it revealed cost-cutting plans (Yui Mok/PA)

In company news, Burberry (BRBY.L) shares shot higher after the luxury fashion firm unveiled plans to axe nearly a fifth of its global workforce, including UK factory workers, in a bid to slash costs and return to profit.

Shareholders welcomed the proposals to cut about 1,700 jobs worldwide over the next two years in an effort to reverse recent losses.

Burberry shares lifted by 17% to 967.6p at the close of trading, marking its highest level for two months.

JPS and Gauloises maker Imperial Brands (IMB.L) finished firmly lower after its boss said he will retire after five years leading the tobacco giant.

The London-listed firm said Lukas Paravicini, the company’s current chief financial officer, will replace Stefan Bomhard as chief executive on October 1.

Shares dropped by 7.3% to 2,680p as investors digested the surprise departure of the successful chief.

Pawnbroker H&T (HAT.L) rocketed in value after it agreed to be the latest UK-listed firm to be taken private by a US buyer.

H&T said on Wednesday that it had accepted an offer from Texas-based FirstCash (FCFS) to buy the company for £297 million. Shares rose by 40.6% to 644p.

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Elsewhere, the price of oil pulled back slightly from Tuesday’s highs, which had benefited from progress in trade talks between the US and China.

A barrel of Brent (BZ=F) crude oil was 0.92% lower at 66.02 dollars (£49.65) as markets were closing in London.

The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 (^FTSE) were: Entain (ENT.L), up 26.8p to 790.8p; Airtel Africa (AAF.L), up 5.5p to 174.6p; Mondi (MNDI.L), up 38p to 1,226.5p; Marks & Spencer (MKS.L), up 9.8p to 355.2p; and Beazley (BEZ.L), up 18.5p to 893p.

The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were: Imperial Brands (IMB.L), down 210p to 2,680p; Spirax (SPX.L), down 395p to 6,190p; Experian (EXPN.L), down 114p to 3,868p; Fresnillo (FRES.L), down 28.5p to 981.5p; and Compass Group (CPG.L), down 66p to 2,540p.

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