London stocks retreat as recovery hopes dim

(Reuters) - London-listed stocks headed lower on Thursday as a plunge in Japanese exports dulled optimism around a speedy recovery from a coronavirus-induced economic slump, with investors also sifting through another mixed bag of quarterly earnings reports.The export-heavy FTSE 100 slipped 0.7%, taking the shine off strong gains earlier in the week as data showed Japan's April exports fell the most since the global financial crisis with the pandemic slamming demand for cars and industrial..