FTSE 100 declines as Covid fear rises, Asian stocks trade mixed with Sensex near flatline

Concerns regarding new Delta variant have worried investors

Spike in Covid cases worries investors, as major indices decline (PA Wire)

London’s FTSE 100 fell by 50 points on Wednesday as financial and metal stocks declined and concerns over a spike in coronavirus infections and the possible impact on economic growth took over.

The blue-chip index lost 0.7 per cent and closed at 7,037, while the domestically focused FTSE 250 also declined by 0.7 per cent.

“There is a sense of general unease at the moment as we’re seeing a rise in the number of Delta variant cases, while we’re just under three weeks away from what is supposed to be ‘Freedom Day’ for the UK,” Danni Hewson, analyst at AJ Bell, was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

The US stocks closed mixed on Wednesday, as S&P 500 ended close to a record high but tech heavy Nasdaq declined as Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Alphabet lost.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 210 points up, the S&P 500 rose 0.13 per cent at 4,297, while the Nasdaq Composite dipped 0.2 per cent.

Asian stocks trade mix on Thursday following the US peers, and as dollar hits a 15 month high against yen. Japan’s Nikkei is trading 0.3 per cent lower, Hang Seng remained close on account of a holiday and Shanghai Composite traded near flatline.

Indian indices opened in the green but closed to flatline. Sensex dipped 37 points after early hours and Nifty traded below 15,800.