Around the World's Markets: London

STOCKS SET a fresh seven-month closing low after an expected rebound on Wall Street failed to materialise after its plunge on Tuesday. After a volatile session, the FTSE 100 was 43.4 points or 0.73 per cent lower at 5,913.9. It was the lowest close since 11 February.

The decline was the FTSE's ninth over the past 12 sessions and came after Tuesday's 1.6 per cent fall, which saw it slip through the bottom of a trading range - roughly 6,000 to 6,600 - that had held for months. Market report, page 25