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LONDON

BLUE-CHIPS closed lower for the fifth day running amid growing fears of a US interest rate hike.

The FTSE 100 finished at 6,199.5 - below the psychologically important 6,200 level - after falling 37.3 points. Dealers said sentiment was undermined by Wall Street's large opening loss. But they added trading in London was sluggish as big players stayed on the sidelines ahead of the long holiday weekend. The undercard fared better. The FTSE 250 ended 15.3 up to 5,667.7, and the Small Cap finished 1.8 higher at 2551.7.