FTSE whipsaws on Syria missile concerns

The FTSE 100 has endured a volatile start to the morning after reports of a missile launch in the East Mediterranean rattled investors.

The blue chip index had been flat in early trading before rumours surrounding possible military action in the Syria conflict surfaced. Those concerns sent the FTSE down as much as 0.6% to 6,470. But shares stabilised as those reports were qualified, with the index down just 0.15% by 10:30am. Among the fallers was asset manager Aberdeen, which saw its shares lose 1.2% as the FCA announced it has hit the group with a £7.2m fine for failing to protect client money in money market deposits. Meanwhile Vodafone was 2.5% lower after the telecoms giant announced the sale of its 45% stake i...