FTSE index loses 5% over past year
- Published
(Close): Share prices in London have closed the year 5% lower than they started it.
The benchmark FTSE 100 index has ended the day down 32 points at 6,242.
The index opened the year at at 6,566 but has been undermined by falls in the value of oil, gas and mining companies.
The price of Brent and US light crude ended the last day of trading barely changed, with Brent down 0.3% at $36.37 dollars a barrel, and WTI down 0.4% at $36.46 per barrel.
On the foreign exchanges, the pound was up nearly 0.5% against the euro at €1.362, and also rose very slightly against the dollar to $1.484.