08/08/2001

Shares drop on the FTSE Index

Tech stocks have contributed to a sharp fall on the main FTSE index.

Reaching a drop of over 100 points, the fall has been blamed on US tech giant Cisco Systems reporting an 86 per cent drop in its third quarter profits.

As a result all the main UK technology, media and telecoms shares saw falls when trading got underway.

Telecoms equipment maker Marconi and tech firms ARM Holdings and Misys were among the companies suffering.

Vodafone's shares dropped five per cent cutting 21 points off the FTSE 100 index alone.

Shares in drug companies were also hit by the news that the German drugmaker Bayer has withdrawn its cholesterol lowering drug Baycol because of worries over side effects.

GlaxoSmithKline's shares slid more than two per cent as it co-markets Baycol with Bayer in the United States. (GB)

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