Afternoon Markets: Investors lock in gains on Wall Street

In the US, the largest stocks began a retreat after weeks of gains with the benchmark Dow Jones down 19.34 points to 9,350.73 in early exchanges.

Boeing led the losers, down 2% to $45.74, as the recession takes its toll on aircraft demand. Credit card firm American Express also fell, down 1.7%, while lower commodity prices hit US mining giant Alcoa, which dropped 1.6%. Fast food giant McDonalds bucked the trend, up 1.8% to $56.20 after a positive sales report. Meanwhile, the UK's FTSE 100 clawed back some of this morning's losses but still trailed, off 20.97 points (0.44%) to 4,710.59. Royal Bank of Scotland, which is 70% owned by the taxpayer, weighed on the index, falling 5.5% to 44.40p. It remains out of favour afte...