FTSE hit by falling metal prices

A cut in interest rates to a 315-year low of 1.5% failed to cheer investors, with share prices taking a sharp dive following the Bank of England's announcement. Miners suffered as metal prices slipped, with Vedanta Resources dropping 7.72%, while Xstrata and Rio Tinto fell 7.37% and 7.01% respectively. Sainsbury shares remained largely unchanged, adding just 0.31%, despite the supermarket chain reporting its best ever Christmas trading. Tullow Oil shares climbed 5.5% after the firm made a new discovery in Ghana. As markets opened in the US, the Dow Jones began to slide, down 0.69% to...