Around the World's markets: London

SHARES CLOSED sharply lower yesterday, after a weak opening on Wall Street sparked a late round of profit-taking and pushed Footsie back below the 5,800 barrier.

The FTSE-100 index ended the day 110.3 lower at 5743.9, mirroring the Dow's opening loss. The smaller indices proved more resilient. The Mid Cap finished 24.3 lower at 4901.7, while the Small Cap fell 5.9 to 2065.0. Speculation of corporate activity and positive analysts' comment on Kingfisher sent the retail giant over 5 per cent higher. Market Report, page 21