Markets: FTSE 100 falls again

• FTSE 100 down 0.3% to 6,130
• Gold up 1.99% to $1,264.23/oz
• £/$ 1.4178

FTSE 100

Travel and leisure firms were out of favour. Hotel and caf operator Whitbread lost 6.2%, while Merlin Entertainments fell 2.7%. Carnival cruises fell 3.3% while TUI and International Consolidated Airlines lost 3.2%

The day's biggest faller was housebuilder Persimmon, which fell 6.8%.

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In Europe, the Paris CAC 40 slipped 0.2% to 4,416, and the German Xetra Dax fell 0.3% to 9,751.

In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3% to 16,943, the S&P 500 added 0.4% to 1,993, and the Nasdaq Composite was 0.1% higher at 4,707.

Overnight in Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.3% to 17,014, and the broader Topix index gained 0.5% to 1,375. And in China, the CSI 300 added 1.2% to 3,093, and the Shanghai Composite was 0.5% higher at 2,874.

Brent spot was trading at $37.00 early today, and in New York, crude oil was at $34.63. Spot gold was trading at $1,270 an ounce, silver was at $15.48 and platinum was at $957.

In the forex markets this morning, sterling was trading against the US dollar at 1.4143 and against the euro at 1.2934. The dollar was trading at 0.9144 against the euro and 113.76 against the Japanese yen.

And in the UK, troubled department store operator BHS says it could close up to half its stores unless it can come to an arrangement with its landlord over rents. The company has filed a Company Voluntary Agreement in the High Court as it struggles to restructure its finances.