03:28

Over in the City, the FTSE 100 index of the biggest companies listed in London has hit a new one-year low at the start of trading, writes Graeme Wearden, on the Guardian’s business desk.



Rising fears over Covid-19 have pushed the blue-chip index down by another 39 points, or 0.5%, to 6978 points at the start of trading. That’s its lowest level since February 2019.



Travel companies are leading the fallers, again, with the holiday firm TUI and budget airline easyJet both losing 3%.



This means the FTSE 100 has fallen more than 5% this week, wiping out more than £100bn of value, as investors have been spooked by the surge in the number of coronavirus infections around the world.



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