Markets Fall After London Blasts
Share prices have dropped across Europe after a number of blasts rocked tube stations and a bus in London. The UK's benchmark FTSE 100 share index tumbled 168 points, or 3.2%, to 5,061. In France, Germany, Holland and Spain indexes all fell more than 2.5%.
The pound also dipped, while many investors sought safety in the Swiss franc and commodities such as gold. The price of crude oil dropped in London.
Several City buildings, including the London Clearing House, were evacuated.
The London Stock Exchange has introduced "special measures" and has asked traders to switch off their "black box" programme trading systems.
The systems use algorithms to place huge trades in response to market volatility.
"We are farming out orders to other financial centres, such as Paris because of the uncertainty on the ground in London," said one dealer in London.
Several people have been injured after explosions on the Underground network and a double-decker bus in London.
