FTSE

The FTSE was fast approaching a staggering 9% drop on a Monday developing into the blackest yet.

A near 20% jump in the share price of Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) helped steer the FTSE clear of the 5,000 mark on Thursday.

London and European markets calmed down in mid-morning trading after the sharp opening decline driven by the rejection of the US $700bn bank bail-out plan.

Seemingly never-ending volatility in the financial sector has brought the FTSE crashing to a new 52-week low this afternoon.

The FTSE100 has plunged under 5000 again this morning as investors retreat from financial stocks in the wake of the Government's Bradford & Bingley nationalisation.

The FTSE closed today with a rise of 101.45 points (1.99%) to 6197.02 as financial stocks saw the biggest gains.

The FTSE ended trading with falls of 33.07 points (0.64%) to 5103.05, despite an EDF buy-out this morning.

The FTSE is currently down 2.85 points (0.06%) to 5133.27 despite an EDF buy-out.

Alistair Darling's promise to avoid ‘knee jerk' reactions to combat weaknesses in the financial system, has done little to bolster investor confidence, as the FTSE plunges 40.06 points (0.75%) to 5271.21.

Reita, the trade body representing REITS and other commercial property investments, is to make data on net asset values (NAV) available to the public.