• FTSE 100 down 2.5% to 5,958
• Gold down 1.26% to $1,131.97
• £/$ – 1.5174
The FTSE 100 took a dive yesterday, dragged down by mining stocks. The index fell 2.5% to close at 5,958.86
Glencore was the main drag, with a 29% slide. Anglo American lost 10%, BHP Billiton fell 6%, and Antofagasta was 4.9% lower.
In Europe’s markets yesterday, the Paris CAC 40 slipped 0.5% to 4,357, and the German Xetra Dax was 2.1% lower at 9,483.
In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.9% to 16,001, the S&P 500 lost 2.6% to 1,881, and the Nasdaq Composite was 3% lower at 4,543.
Overnight in Japan, the Nikkei 225 slid 4.1% to 16,930, and the broader Topix fell 4.4% to 1,375. And in China, the CSI 300 was 4.9% lower at 3,178, and the Shanghai Composite fell 2% to 3,038.
Brent spot was trading at $47.47 early today, and in New York, crude oil was at $44.47. Spot gold was trading at $1,128 an ounce, silver was at $14.55 and platinum was at $902.
In the forex markets this morning, sterling was trading against the US dollar at 1.5187 and against the euro at 1.3495. The dollar was trading at 0.8886 against the euro and 119.70 against the Japanese yen.
And today, online retailer Boohoo.com reported a big rise in profits for the first half of the year. Pre-tax profit in the six months to 31 August rose by 39% to £6.3m. Sales rose by 35% to £90.8m.