The London market closed in the red today as apprehensive investors kept their cash off the table ahead of a key EU summit this week.
The FTSE 100 Index was down 63 points at 5,450.7, with miners and banking stocks the biggest fallers amid fears the summit will not restore confidence in the future of the euro currency.
Recent gloomy economic data from China hit miners, with big fallers including Rio Tinto, which declined 109.5p to 2,872.5p and Kazakhmys off 28p at 674p.
Among financial stocks, Lloyds Banking Group was down 0.9p at 30.4p while Royal Bank of Scotland was off 6.4p to 236.8p on fears the IT meltdown at NatWest would land it with tens of millions of pounds in compensation and costs.
Pharmaceuticals company Shire was the biggest top flight faller, down 11% or 223p to £17.43, after US regulators approved generic copies of its hyperactivity drug Adderall XR.
There was also a decline of 1% for Morrisons after its respected finance director, Richard Pennycook, said he planned to leave the business after nearly eight years in the role. Shares were 3.6p lower at 264.8p.
The biggest Footsie risers were Hargreaves Lansdown up 12p at 513p, Polymetal International ahead 11.5p at 925p and Vodafone up 1p at 178.6p.
Among the biggest Footsie fallers were Aviva down 11.4p at 263.2p and Icap off 15p at 357p.
Stuart Lamont, of investment manager and financial planning specialist Brewin Dolphin in Aberdeen, noted Centrica up 0.5% to 308.6p in a largely depressed market.
Among the fallers, Premier Oil lost 4.8% to 323.9p while Aberdeen Asset Management gave up 2.8% to end the day at 246.9p.
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