Thomas Cook shares continue to fall, dragging FTSE firms down with it

Package holiday provider Thomas Cook's share price has continued to fall for a second day, after having more than £175m wiped off its market value yesterday.

The firm announced its third profit warning in five months, blaming the UK's long summer heatwave for a decline in Brits heading abroad.

Shares in the FTSE 250 company declined by as much as 12 per cent as markets opened this morning before recovering to a loss of four per cent by midday, after booking a loss of 23 per cent by last night's close.

Other London-listed firms are also feeling the heat, with the newly-minted owner of Wagamama chain The Restaurant Group (TRG) leading the fallers by lunchtime with a loss of almost 10 per cent. Its shareholders narrowly approved a deal to buy the Asian fusion restaurant this morning, with almost 40 per cent of investors voting against the acquisition.

Mining firm Nostrum was another faller, having lost more than six per cent today after the sector weighed heavily on stocks yesterday due to now-omnipresent rising trade tensions.

In travel and leisure, Thomas Cook's summertime woes have had a knock-on effect on other providers.

Easyjet's share price has fallen more than three per cent as analysts at Keppler Cheuvreux downgraded its rating to "hold", while Tui is down almost two per cent.

However, rival online holiday retailer On The Beach is up more than five per cent and now boasts a bigger market cap than Thomas Cook, having recently reported a rise in profit at the end of its financial year.