FTSE slumps 2% as US jobs data shocks investors

The FTSE 100 has shed almost 2% after US employment numbers for March came in well below expectations.

The index, which had been down 1.4% in earlier trading, moved further into the red and was trading down 1.9% at 6,225 as the US opened. The blue chip index has now dropped 4.2% from the high of 6,502 reached on Tuesday, on renewed concerns over the health of the eurozone and the broader global economy. US markets have also opened lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 1.1%, or 164pts, to 14,442 shortly after opening. The S&P 500 was also sharply lower, down 1.3% or 19.9pts, at 1,540. Today's jobs data raises fresh concern over the status of the US economic recovery. The Bu...