World markets tumble due to fears over economic recovery
GLOBAL markets stumbled yesterday, prompting fears that the recent stock market rally could be over.
In London, the FTSE 100 shed 68.96 points, or 1.5 per cent, closing at 4,645.01. Across the Atlantic, the Dow Jones Industrial Average also shed 186 points, or two per cent.
Sterling fell against the dollar while the price of oil dipped, causing some analysts to call an end to the rally that has boosted the City this summer.
The fall in the FTSE was the biggest one-day drop since early July, and comes hot on the heels of a 0.9 per cent drop on Friday.
Markets reacted negatively to figures from Japan which showed that while the world’s second largest economy is no longer in recession, it has not bounced back to the extent that had been anticipated.
The MSCI index of shares in the world’s 23 richest nations was down 2.6 per cent last night, its biggest drop in two months. And the Chinese Shanghai Composite Index shed 5.8 per cent, its worst one-day fall since November.
Meanwhile, the pound fell by around two cents against the dollar, falling to $1.63.