THE FTSE 100 Index endured a bad end to a week that has seen it lose more than £40 billion in value as fears over the global economy sparked a shares sell-off.
Stocks fell for a fourth session in a row, slumping by more than one per cent.
It leaves the group of London's top 100 listed companies worth £140 billion less than they were just over a month ago.
The FTSE 100 headed below the 6350 mark, more than 550 points below its level at the start of September when it had come close to its record high.
Worries about the global economy, particularly in Europe and Asia, have been accompanied by a wave of selling in energy and commodity stocks due to a sharp fall in the price of oil.
Gloom over the eurozone and the Ukraine crisis has been added to this week by anxiety over the spread of the Ebola virus.
In addition, figures showing Germany's exports falling 5.8 per cent in August sparked fears Europe's biggest economy may fall into recession.
Wall Street endured its worst session of the year on Thursday, but rallied briefly yesterday. Germay's Dax was off four per cent for the week, and France's Cac 40 also fell.
Earlier this week, the International Monetary Fund downgraded its growth forecasts for the three largest eurozone economies - Germany, France and Italy.
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