JPMorgan sees divergence in UK stocks with Brexit debate

London

BRITAIN'S potential withdrawal from the European Union is causing a rift in the region's biggest stock market to widen.

While the FTSE 100 Index is one of Europe's best-performing gauges in 2016, benefiting from the drop in the pound and a rebound in commodity stocks, firms that would be most hurt by an exit from the EU are getting left behind. An index compiled by JPMorgan Chase & Co tracking 11 such companies, including Barclays Plc and Next Plc, is down 12 per cent this year. It trails the FTSE 100 by the most since 2014, or 11 percentage points.