The FTSE 100 Index fell 34.30 points, or 0.6%, to 5,621 points today as financials weighed on the market.
Alliance & Leicester lost 0.86% to 1,154p, despite reporting net mortgage lending rose to £1.4bn in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Scotland dropped 0.78% to 1,772p and Bradford & Bingley declined 1.96% to 449.50p. HSBC bucked the trend, rising 0.16% to 935.50p, after Lehman Brothers upped the firm to 'overweight' with a 1,020p target. Xstrata rose 0.11% to 1,895p, fuelled by talk of a three way tie up between the company and Canadian outfits Inco and Falconbridge. Antofagasta also rose 1% to 1,911p and Anglo American gained 0.36% to 1,943p, shrugging off concerns higher intere...
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