BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks fell sharply on Thursday, with financial and commodity-related shares coming under selling pressure on worries about slowing global growth. The European Central Bank's policy meeting also remained on investors' radar.
The benchmark FTSE 100 fell 84 points, or 1.2 percent, to 7,011 after declining 0.8 percent in the previous session.
Miners Anglo American and Glencore fell about 1 percent, while oil firm BP Plc declined 1.3 percent and Royal Dutch Shell lost 1.7 percent.
Among financials, Lloyds Bank dropped half a percent and Natwest Group gave up 1.2 percent.
easyJet plunged nearly 10 percent after the airline announced a fully underwritten rights issue to raise gross proceeds of approximately 1.2 billion pounds.
Rivals British Airways-owner IAG and Wizz Air fell 2.9 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively.
AstraZeneca shares fell almost 1 percent. The European Medicines Agency has listed the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can cause temporary paralysis, as a 'very rare' side effect of the company's COVID-19 vaccine.
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