FTSE dips below 4,000 on miner declines

After a positive start this morning, London's blue-chip index regressed 45.7 points, or 1.13%, to 3,983.96. Rio Tinto tumbled 10% to 2,241, on possible plans to issue new stock should its planned $19.5bn investment from Chinalco falls through. Fellow miners Randgold, Fresnillo and Vedanta sank in sympathy, down 9.36%, 8.13% and 5.07% respectively. Markets were also in early decline across the Atlantic, with the Dow Jones down 110.07 points, or 1.37%, to 7,907.52. The broader S&P 500 is 13.08 points lower, or 1.55%, to 829.42 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 32.24 points, or 1.99%, to 1,...