18 February 2021 | 12:04pm
StockMarketWire.com - The FTSE 100 saw losses deepen by lunchtime on Thursday as the positive sentiment from earlier in the week waned and sterling continued to make gains against the dollar and the euro.
By midday the index was down 0.8% to 6,654.57 with US futures markets indicating a modest slump when trading resumes later on.
Medical technology company Smith & Nephew fell 5.1% to £14.87 as it reported a 42% fall in trading profits as consequences of the pandemic lead to a decreased revenue across the group as well as lower gross margins.
Hays dipped 0.1% to 157.8p despite reporting a sharp fall in first-half profit. The recruitment company vowed to resume its dividend payments later this year in August, citing a stronger recovery in the second quarter.