FTSE and pound fall as European borders close to UK
21st Dec 2020 | Source: BBC
Shares in London have fallen sharply and the pound has lost ground after several EU countries closed their borders to the UK, which has reported a new variant of coronavirus.
The FTSE 100 share index fell about 1.8%, while the main markets in Germany and France were more than 2% lower.
Sterling fell about 1.4% against the euro and dropped 2% against the dollar.
Restrictions on travel hit airline stocks, with British Airways' owner IAG and EasyJet tumbling 9%.
Aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce was also badly hit, falling 9% as well.
The rout was replicated on other European markets. Air France-KLM shares plunged 10%, while planemaker Airbus fell more than 6%.