The London market remained on the back foot today amid concerns over disappointing economic data from China and the US.
More worrying economic data from China showing weak inflation in the world's second biggest economy saw markets come under pressure, with falls for UK blue chips following overnight declines on Wall Street and in Asia.
The inflation figures came after gloomy Chinese trade data on Tuesday, with the FTSE 100 Index 72.7 points lower at 6269.6 - having fallen more than 60 points at one stage.
Germany's DAX was down by around one per cent, while France's Cac 40 was lower by about 0.5 per cent. In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down by just under 100 points in early trading.
In the US, official data said retail sales edged up by just 0.1 per cent last month after being unchanged in August, causing some to fear the US economy is beginning to feel the effects of the global slowdown.
The pound was up two cents against the US dollar, to just over 1.54, after official UK data showed that unemployment fell to a seven-year low dipping by 79,000 to 1.7 million in the quarter to August. Sterling also rose a cent against the euro, to 1.35.
But fund supermarket and financial advisory group Hargreaves Lansdown was bucking the wider market declines after notching up higher new business, client numbers and revenues in its first quarter - despite market turmoil sending assets under management down by £500 million.
Shares lifted almost four per cent, or 47p to 1330p, making the financial group the strongest performer in the top tier.
Drinks giant Diageo was 33p, or almost two per cent, lower at 1810p despite securing a £360.5m deal to offload the bulk of its wine business - including Blossom Hill and Piat d'Or firm Percy Fox in the UK - to Australia's Treasury Wine Estates.
Asia focused lender Standard Chartered was down 10.8p to 728p, after UBS cut its target price on the bank to 800p from 1,200p after saying the bank still needed "more comprehensive" balance sheet restructuring.
The UBS note comes after the bank last week, under new chief executive Bill Winters, confirmed it would axe 1,000 of its most senior managers.
Industrial testing firm Intertek, was up 65p to 2577p after it agreed to buy US-based Professional Service Industries for £215m in cash.
It expects the acquisition to bolster its earnings per share in the first full year after completion of the deal in December.
Elsewhere, Domino's Pizza surged higher in the FTSE 250 Index after hiking its full-year profit outlook thanks to a better-than-expected third quarter as online sales jumped.
The pizza delivery group posted a 14 per cent rise in UK like-for-like sales for the 13 weeks to September 27.
Shares lifted 112p to 1002p.
The biggest risers in the FTSE 100 Index were Hargreaves Landsdown up 47p at 1330p, Intertek up 65p at 2577p, Antofagasta up 14p at 580.5p and Fresnillo up 16.5p at 750.5p.
The biggest fallers in the FTSE 100 Index were Barratt Developments down 24p at 610p, Taylor Wimpey down 6.6p at 186.5p, BT Group down 14.6p at 417.2p and Inmarsat down 30.5p at 901p.
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