FTSE hits half-year low

NEWS The FTSE 100 hit a seven month low this morning, falling below the 5,000 mark for the first time since last September. In early trading the index slipped 2.1 per cent to 4,976.3 but it managed to gain some ground to stand at 5,002 by 10.20(BST). Investors blamed the decline on falls in European and US indices over the past two days.