European markets fell slightly this morning as investors continued to wait on the Federal Reserve’s decision whether to raise interest rates for the first time in nearly 10 years.
The FTSE 100 fell around 0.2 per cent to 6,212.73, after rising 1.5 per cent by the close of trade on Wednesday.
British American Tobacco had risen by 1.31 per cent by mid-morning, after Panmure Gordon reaffirmed their buy rating, while Smiths Group saw the price of its stock tumble by 4.3 per cent after rival Rotork reported poor results and RBC Capital reiterated an underperform rating.
The Stoxx Europe 600 was down 0.1 per cent. Asian markets had mixed results, with the Japanese Nikkei 225 up 1.43 per cent but the Shanghai Composite down 2.1 per cent.
American markets responded well overnight to the approaching decision by the Fed, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones up by 0.87 and 0.84 per cent respectively.
Oil prices rose slightly on Wednesday, but with US inflation data lower than expected, investors saw a rate rise as more likely, moving markets upwards.
