Negative results leave FTSE depressed

The FTSE 100 index only just closed over the 4,700 mark, having dropped 48.3 points or just over 1% to 4,701.5. Rentokil eventually closed down 8.25p or 5.5% to 141.75p – having earlier in the day suffered its biggest fall in six months – after reporting its pest control business has seen profit fall 12% in the first 10 months of this year, with little prospect of improvement. Compass Group shares also fell 9.5p or 3.95% to 231p after the world's largest caterer revealed second-half profit remained stagnant because the firm has several unprofitable school-lunch contracts as well as ad...