FTSE 100 flat as Brexit Worries Weigh on pound; Broader Europe slips

Dec 7 (Reuters) - A battered pound on growing fears of Brexit without a trade deal buoyed London’s blue-chip index on Monday, while other major European indexes slipped as rising tension between the United States and China sapped appetite for risky assets.

London’s mid-caps index lost over 1%, while the blue-chip index closed up 0.1% after gaining as much as 0.8% in the session.

The FTSE 100 outperformed regional peers, thanks to a hammered pound as Brexit negotiators struggled over differences on fishing rights, fair competition and ways to solve future disputes.

The United Kingdom said it would not extend the Dec 31 deadline to leave the bloc, and that it is prepared for an exit without a trade deal. All eyes were on the outcome of a call at 1600 GMT between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

After adding about 14% over the last five weeks, the pan-European STOXX 600 index fell up to 1% before closing down 0.3%.

Sentiment was dulled also by worries over U.S.-China relations after Reuters reported that United States was preparing to impose sanctions on at least a dozen Chinese officials over their alleged role in Beijing’s disqualification of elected opposition legislators in Hong Kong.

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