FTSE 100 gave up ground as trading got underway on Tuesday, falling 33 points to 8,258.
Compass led fallers early on after news of a higher dividend on a 16.4% increase in profit for the year appeared to underwhelm against heightened expectations.
Miners dropped as commodity prices came under pressure following renewed commitments by US President-elect Donald Trump to introduce sweeping tariffs once he took office.
The pound also faced pressure as a result, dropping 0.2% against the dollar, which rallied against foreign currencies.
And finally, Halfords shares surged as the motor retailer stuck to full-year guidance despite warning of uncertainty and growing costs ahead due to last month’s Budget.