Following a surprise interest rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve, UK stocks ranked lower on Wednesday as investors worried about the extent of the global economic fallout from the Coronavirus epidemic.
The blue-chip index fell 0.2% after rising for two straight days, while the domestically focused mid-cap index slipped 0.3%.
Wall Street had tumbled overnight as the unexpected move by the Fed alarmed rather than soothed investors already worried about economic growth amid the fast-spreading virus outbreak.
Among individual stocks, mall operator Intu slumped 41.2% as it scrapped a planned equity raise and said there was a risk that it might breach some of its debt covenants this year.
