FTSE dips below 5,000 mark

The benchmark index trading was led by a 22p drop in Barclay shares to 583p, while Standard Chartered slipped 26.5p to 971.5p. As is the case with both banks, buyers of the stock, starting today, are not eligible for a second-half dividend payment. Royal &Sun Alliance Insurance also closed down 2.25p to 84.50. But at the other end of the spectrum, Cairn Energy managed to gain 22p to £12.11. In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial average is slowly clawing its way back from big losses recorded yesterday, where not a single stock gained. A government report showed consumer prices rose ...