FTSE LIVE: UK stocks remain on a downward spiral; Dixons Carphone maintains full-year forecasts

Dixons Carphone said today that group like-for-like sales were flat in its first quarter as it held firm on its full-year forecasts. In the UK, where total sales fell 2 per cent, the retailer was held back by slower sales of computers and white goods, despite enjoying a World Cup-related boost.

Bovis Homes has become the latest housebuilder to shrug off uncertainty in the property market this week by posting a hefty rise in half-year profit.