FTSE 100 falls back despite eye-popping growth forecast for UK, while Wall Street set to open lower
The index of UK blue-chips and US markets under pressure amid a host of economic data
FTSE 100 down 70 points
B&M falls after figures
Ex-divs help push down market
12.32pm: Investors await US economic data
Wall Street is expected to open lower as investors focus on the latest US jobs data due shortly.
Ahead of Friday s widely watched non-farm payroll numbers - which came in well below forecasts last month with a rise of only 266,000 - come the private payroll figures for May from ADP. They are expected to show an increase of 750,000, up from 742,000 in April. However last time round the survey gave little guidance as to the official figure.
FTSE 100 closes in red as travel stocks and miners weigh
The UK s top share index finished the afternoon session down over 43 points, or 0.61%, at 7,064
FTSE 100 closes down 43 points
US stocks mixed
5.15pm: FTSE closes lower
FTSE 100 closed in the red on Thursday, weighed down by travel and commodity groups.
The UK s top share index finished the afternoon session down over 43 points, or 0.61%, at 7,064.
Midcap FTSE 250 was also lower, closing down over 180 points, or 0.57%, at 22,802.
Over on Wall Street, it was a mixed bag. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added over 35 points, but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq were lower, by eight points and 112 points respectively.