FTSE drops 3% as job cuts accelerate

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London trading worsened as Friday afternoon as after figures revealed more half a million jobs were cut in the US in November.

The announcement added to falls among mining stocks, which are suffering from rapidly falling copper prices, and the FTSE100 index tumbled 3.03% to 4,037.42 by late-afternoon. Lonmin shares dropped 18.21% to 539p as metal prices fell for a seventh consecutive day, followed by rivals Xstrata and BHP Billiton, which lost 14.77% and 9.76% respectively. Legal & General saw the biggest gains, adding 5.3% to 73.5p, while GlaxoSmithKline shares rose 2.09%. BT Group's shares climbed 2.92% after a court decided the firm could increase the price it charges rivals to use its network. US stocks ...

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