FTSE down as world markets plummet

Shire saw the biggest gains, up 8 points (0.85%) to 952p, while Scottish & Newcastle added 1.5 points (0.19%) to 785.5p. Taylor Wimpey saw the biggest losses ahead of preliminary results and expected problems in the housing market, down 16.35 points (8.12%) to 184.9p, while Kingfisher suffered on fears of slowing consumer spending, down 12 points (7.81%) to 141.6p. On Wall Street, markets dived in early trading as recession fears persisted and the Dow Jones index dropped 217.45 points (1.72%) to 12,417.71. Wall mart made the largest gains, adding 0.21 (0.42%) to 50.28, while McDonalds cl...