The FTSE 100 shed 7 points (0.7%) in the morning, dropping to 6,034.
The FTSE 250 declined 106 points (0.9%) to 11,674. The FTSE AIM 100 index fell 6.5 points (0.15%) to 4,191.
Banking stocks emerged atop the leaderboard today. Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) advanced 2.2% to take the lead in the FTSE 100. HSBC (LON:HSBA) and Barclays (LON:BARC) followed, tacking on nearly 2%.
Engineering company GKN (LON:GKN) was at the bottom of the pile with a 3% loss.
Murray International Trust (LON:MYI) led the FTSE 250 constituents, tacking on nearly 2%. Dairy Crest Group (LON:DCG) and Northgate (LON:NTG) added 1.5%.
Bwin.party (LON:BPTY) slid 9% and Talvivaara (LON:TALV) slipped 7%.
Halfords (LON:HFD) and Rank Group (LON:RNK) declined 6% and 5% respectively.
Oil & gas
Supermajors BP (LON:BP) and Shell (LON:RDSB) posted small losses, as did BG Group (LON:BG) and Tullow Oil (LON:TLW).
Cairn Energy (LON:CNE) dropped 2.3%.
Midcaps Premier Oil (LON:PMO) and Melrose Resources (LON:MRS) dropped 1.5% and 1% respectively.
Mining
Precious metals
Mining stocks weren’t very active today. Fresnillo (LON:FRES) stood just above the opening level, while Randgold Resources (LON:RRS) and Lonmin (LON:LMI) declined marginally.
African Barrick Gold (LON:ABG) posted a small gain.
Oxus Gold (LON:OXS), the only publicly listed gold mining company with primary operations inside the Republic of Uzbekistan, led the small caps, soaring 24.5%. Russia operating PGM explorer Eurasia Mining (LON:EUA) added 6%.
Base metals
Vedanta Resources (LON:VED) was at the bottom of the sector with a 2.5% loss. Xstrata (LON:XTA) lost 1.4%.
Anglo American (LON:AAL), Antofagasta (LON:ANTO) and BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) eased 1%.
Thermal coal mine developer Churchill Mining (LON:CHL) was among the top risers in the sector, surging 15.5%. Coal production and processing company Atlantic Coal (LON:ATC) followed with a 7% gain.
Banks, insurance, private equity
Banks were on the rise today. Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) advanced 2.4%, while Barclays (LON:BARC) and HSBC (LON:HSBA) followed, climbing 2%. Lloyds (LON:LLOY) and Standard Chartered (LON:STAN) tacked on 1.5%.
Insurers Aviva (LON:AV) and Old Mutual (LON:OML) added just over 1%.
Private equity group 3i (LON:III) retreated 2%.