Global economy worries weighed on heavily-weighted miners, with Kazakhmys down 30.5p to 715.5p and Evraz off 13.3p to 234.3p.
A buoyant session for blue chip financial stocks failed to boost the London market today amid renewed fears over the global economy and subdued trading on Wall Street.
The FTSE 100 Index gave back most of yesterday's gains, down 36.4 points at 5793.3, despite a sector-wide broker upgrade for UK bank stocks and better-than-expected third quarter results from JP Morgan Chase.
The US bank said profits rose by a third to 5.7 billion US dollars (£3.5 billion) thanks to a rebound in mortgage refinancing.
Encouraging consumer confidence figures out in America initially helped the Dow Jones Industrial Average, but it soon slipped back to stand 15 points lower as the London market closed after figures from Wells Fargo bank proved a disappointment.
Sentiment in London had also been hit by lacklustre trading overnight in Asia, where investors were unconvinced by figures released yesterday showing a sharp drop in jobless claims in the US economy.
In currency news, sterling strengthened to 1.607 US dollars after falls earlier this week, while the pound was also higher at 1.24 euros.
Financial stocks were among those enjoying gains after the JP Morgan figures and as broker Deutsche Bank upgraded its rating on the banking sector.
Bank shares were buoyed earlier this week by news that they do not have to hold extra capital against new loans made under the £80 billion Funding for Lending scheme.
Standard Chartered led the sector higher with a rise of 32p to 1427.5p, while Lloyds Banking Group lifted 0.5p to 39.7p. Barclays and HSBC lost early session rises, closing down 0.5p to 232.2p and 1.9p to 595.3p respectively.
Financial services provider Hargreaves Lansdown was the biggest Footsie riser after a first quarter trading update showed record revenues, customer numbers and assets under administration, despite a quiet summer for the investment management industry.
Net new business fell 19%, but shares rose 3% or 24p to 712p as analysts praised a better-than-expected first quarter, given tough comparatives and a difficult summer hampered by the dearth of fund launches.
The engineering sector was hit by another profit warning, this time from industrial materials firm Morgan Crucible, coming just days after Cookson's profits alert.
Morgan shares plunged 11% or 28.5p to 227.3p - making it the biggest faller in the FTSE 250 Index - after it said full-year results will be below hopes due to deteriorating conditions in China and Europe.
The news had a knock-on effect on GKN, which fell 7.1p to 209.9p in the top tier.
Wickes owner Travis Perkins was also lower in the FTSE 250, down 41p to 1094p, after it reported a 2.4% fall in third quarter sales and said margins were coming under pressure.
Elsewhere, shares in troubled London cab maker Manganese Bronze were suspended at 10p after it said a steering box fault would force it to recall 400 cabs and put all sales of its TX4 model on hold.
The biggest Footsie risers were Hargreaves Lansdown up 24p to 712p, Standard Chartered ahead 32p to 1427.5p, Lloyds Banking Group 0.5p higher at 39.7p and Intertek Group up 31p to 2773p.
The biggest Footsie fallers were Evraz down 13.3p to 234.3p, Kazakhmys off 30.5p to 715.5p, Antofagasta 47p lower at 1267p and GKN down 7.1p to 209.9p.
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