LONDON, April 7. /TASS/. The FTSE 100 index on the London Stock Exchange began the week with another decline. At the market opening, the index, which is based on the stocks of the 100 largest companies by capitalization, dropped by 5.51%, reaching 7,610 points.
An hour into trading, the situation slightly improved, though only marginally. As of 09:00 (11:00 MSK), the FTSE 100 was down by 5.11%.
Leading the declines were the industrial group Melrose Industries (-9.58%), Barclays bank (-9.42%), the aviation holding IAG (-9.24%), and the mining company Antofagasta (-9.15%).
The broader FTSE 250 index, which includes the stocks of 250 companies, accelerated its decline to 5.09%.
A similar trend was observed across other European markets. The European Stoxx Europe 600 index fell by 5.69%, the French CAC 40 by 5.73%, and the German DAX by 6.42%.
The British pound strengthened against the US dollar, reaching $1.2925 per pound, but weakened slightly against the euro, dropping to €1.17 per pound.
Following Asia
Earlier on Monday, significant declines were also seen on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges. Global markets are reacting strongly to US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on products from 185 countries and territories (Russia is not on the list), as well as China’s retaliatory actions, with Beijing announcing its intention to impose a 34% tariff on all products imported from the US starting on April 10.
At the close of trading on Friday, the FTSE 100 had dropped by 4.95%, reaching 8,055 points. This marked the largest one-day decline in the index in five years.