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LONDON (AFP) –
Stocks in London ended the session sharply down Thursday on the back of dire unemployment figures released in the US and in the eurozone, where the rate hit a 10-year-high.
The FTSE 100 index shares was 2.45 percent lower at 4,234.27 points.
Vodafone was the most widely traded stock, seeing 161 million units change hands, followed by Royal Bank of Scotland, which saw 134 million switch owners.
Diageo led the blue chip risers, climbing 8 pence -- or 0.89 percent -- to finish at 905, followed by Petrofac, which gained 3.5 pence -- or 0.52 percent -- to stand at 683.
WPP led the day's fallers, shedding 29 pence -- or 7.01 percent -- to finish at 384.5, followed by AngloAmer which lost 106.5 pence -- or 5.81 percent -- to end at 1726.
Elsewhere, the pound was down against the dollar but up against the euro.
Sterling was worth 1.6369 dollars at 15:58 BST, down from 1.6480 at Wednesday's close, while it inched up to 1.1668 euros from 1.1651 over the same period.
