Japanese policymakers’ failure to deliver new stimulus measures led to a shares slump among blue-chip stocks today.
The FTSE 100 Index was down more than 100 points during the session, though it had partially recovered by the close to end 60.4 points down at 6,340.1.
Miners dominated the fallers board, with Evraz down by nearly 6% or 7.3p to 117.3p.
Anglo American shares were down more than 3%, or 50p, at 1,371.5p while other big fallers included Randgold Resources, dropping nearly 2%, or 99p, to £49.26, and Rio Tinto was off 37.5p at 2,702.5p.
In corporate news, Britvic and A.G. Barr shares were flat despite the backing of the Competition Commission for the pair’s merger. Britvic shares were 14p lower at 486.5p, while Barr fell 6p to £5.03.
Fund manager Aberdeen Asset Management did badly from the sell-off on the FTSE 100 as its shares plunged 18.3p to 395.8p, more than 4%. Its exposure to equities makes it sensitive to wider market falls.
FirstGroup shares were also down nearly 19% to 99.6p after investors backed a £615million rights issue designed to ease the company’s debt burden.
The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were Royal Dutch Shell, up 16.5p to £22.10, Rolls-Royce, up 6p to £11.87, Tullow Oil ahead 5p at £10.17 and Reed Elsevier up 3.5p at 746.5p.
Among the biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were Burberry, down 69p to £13.58 and Polymetal International down 27p at £6.17.
Steven McKay, of investment manager and financial planning specialist Brewin Dolphin in Aberdeen, noted that Premier Oil was one of the day’s limited risers, adding 0.4% to 343.85p.
Among the fallers, EnQuest gave up 3.6% to 122.45p and Xcite Energy weakened 2.6% to close the day at 103.5p.
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