Stocks sold off across the world as weak manufacturing figures in Germany and the US added to a cocktail of global anxieties.
Global stock markets have plunged after latest economic data spurred renewed fears of an economic slowdown - while at the same time the pound rose sharply on latest Brexit developments.
The FTSE 100 fell by 148 points, or 2%, in the biggest one-day decline since December - wiping £37bn off the combined value of its constituent companies. In New York, the Dow Jones was 1.7%, or more than 400 points, lower at the time of the close in London, while markets in Germany and France also tumbled.
It came after data from Germany - a world exporting powerhouse - showed manufacturing shrank for the third month in a row in March.In currency markets, the pound was a cent higher against the US dollar at more than $1.32 after Theresa May won an extension to Brexit.More from Business
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