(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milano, 23 gen - Shares in London closed flat to lower as investors assessed the latest economic data and geopolitical developments.

In the UK, manufacturing hit 51.6 vs 50.6 in the previous month and services rose to 54.3 vs 51.4 in December.

Also on the data front, UK retail sales volumes are estimated to have risen by 0.4% month on month in December, following a fall of 0.1% in November and a decline of 0.8% in October, revised up from a 0.9% fall, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Markets have rallied over the last two days buoyed by president Donald Trump's change of tack on Greenland. His comments at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland earlier this week that he had inked a 'framework of a future deal' on Greenland with the head of NATO helped calm choppy waters.

Trump has repeatedly said he wants to buy the Arctic island which he sees as critical for security reasons.

Among individual stocks, Babcock shed 0.68% at 1,454.00 pence after the UK aerospace, defence and nuclear engineering services company said that its chief executive David Lockwood will retire by the end of this calendar year, and the board has chosen Harry Holt, the current CEO of Babcock's Nuclear sector, as his successor.

The London FTSE 100 closed down 0.07% at 10,143.44 points.

(RADIOCOR) 23-01-26 18:19:03 (0626) 5 NNNN