Around the World's Markets: London

SHARES TOOK a big tumble as worries about domestic and US interest rates combined to depress sentiment.

The FTSE 100 closed 131.4 points lower at 6,401.7, while the FTSE 250 shed 42.7 to 5,844.8 and the small cap was down 10.6 to 2,573.2. A large fall in the Dow overnight and Wall Street's opening weakness were the main drivers behind London's slide, with fears of an interest-rate hike after today's Bank of England meeting.