U.K. Stocks Decline; Barclays Leads Banks Lower on Stake Sale

By Roger Neill

Oct. 20 (Bloomberg) -- U.K. stocks declined, reversing earlier gains, as Barclays Plc led financials lower after Qatar said it would sell a stake in the region’s second-biggest bank.

The benchmark FTSE 100 index slipped 0.3 percent to 5,266.87 at 8.48 a.m. in London, having gained as much as 0.3 perent earlier.

Barclays lost 5 percent after Qatar Holding LLC said it intends to sell 379.2 million shares in the company by way of an accelerated bookbuild. Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc retreated 2.4 percent.