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April 19 Reuters British stocks fell on Friday as anxious investors poured capital into safehaven assets after sources said Israel launched an attack on Iranian soil, while domestic retail sales stagnated for March.

The globallyfocussed FTSE 100 declined 0.6 by 832 GMT. It is down 2.3 so far this week, set for its worst week in three months.

The midcap FTSE 250 lost 0.9, poised for a third consecutive week of declines.

Nearly all subindexes traded in the red. Retailers and personal goods lost 1.4 each and were among the top losers, JD Sports led declines among retailers, down 3.

Meanwhile, the pound was flat, hovering near fivemonths lows against the dollar as data showed UK retail sales stagnated in March representing the first time that sales have not grown in monthly terms since December.

The 10year UK bond yield ticked slightly higher to 4.267.

Investors are also on edge due to uncertainties surrounding Iran39;s next moves, compounded by significant concerns over inflation and interest rate volatility.

Travel and leisure stocks fell 0.8, as airlines scrambled to divert flights over Iran.

The retaliation of Israel coming through overnight is a bit of a risk off environment but UK markets are doing a bit better because of their energy exposure and haven39;t been priced for a Goldilocks scenario, said Thomas…