FTSE 100 risers and fallers: Index dips amid fears over global growth

The FTSE 100 index slipped 0.7 per cent today driven by a plunge in gambling company GVC's shares and poor Chinese export data that has sparked fears over global growth.

GVC led the day’s fallers with its share price 13.82 per cent down after dropping as low as 18 per cent earlier in the day after its chief executive and chairman offloaded the majority of their holdings.

Read more: GVC shares plunge as bosses offload majority of their holdings

Housebuilder Ashtead dropped 4.15 per cent to 1,895p, followed by mining company Antofagasta which fell 3.93 per cent to 923.8p.

Shares in packaging firm DS Smith, which this month announced it was selling its plastics division to US private equity firm Olympus Partners for $585m, fell 3.49 per cent, followed by NMC Health which was down 3.24 per cent.

Fiona Cincotta, senior market analyst at City Index, said: “The London gauge is down…after the ECB’s grim assessment of the state of the European economy yesterday and the index’s chance of recovery has been dealt a further blow by data pointing to an increasingly serious slowdown in China.

“Some of the UK blue chips that have reported earlier this week are among the main fallers including Ashtead Group and Paddy Power.”

Read more: Chinese exports suffer biggest drop in three years

Admiral Group was the day’s biggest riser, jumping 2.63 per cent to 2,143p, followed by Fresnilo which was up 2.2 per cent to 798p.

Unilever, Vodafone and Halma were up 1.26 per cent, 1.02 per cent and 0.94 per cent respectively.