LONDON: Britain's stock market fell on Wednesday as shares in commodity-related companies were hit by new worries over China, the world's largest consumer of metals, while North Korea's nuclear test added to investors' nervousness.
The People's Bank of China set a weaker midpoint for the yuan, and a private survey showed that activity in China's services sector expanded at its slowest rate for 17 months in December.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed down 1 percent at 6,073.38 points, leaving the FTSE some 15 percent below a record high reached last April.
The FTSE 350 Mining Index declined 3.7 percent, with Anglo American, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Glencore all falling sharply.
"We are in a new world - China's not growing (in) double digits, demand for raw materials has fallen through the floor and it's both a supply and demand side problem," Accendo Markets head of research, Mike van Dulken, said.
Energy shares such as BP and Royal Dutch Shell also fell as the price of oil dropped to an 11-year low on concerns over growing supply and rising stock levels.
Chipmaker ARM retreated 3 percent after Nikkei reported that Apple is expected to cut production of its iPhone 6S and 6S plus models by about 30 percent in the January to March quarter.
Nervousness among investors also rose after North Korea said it had successfully tested a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device on Wednesday, stoking geopolitical tensions.
"The events in North Korea have only added to further downward pressure, with the words 'nuclear explosion' and markets never mixing too well together," GKFX chief market analyst, James Hughes, said.
However, those concerns lifted shares in some defence companies, including BAE Systems, which was the best-performing FTSE 100 stock. BAE, which rose 3.8 percent, got a further boost after RBC analysts tipped the stock.
Royal Mail was also a standout gainer, climbing 1.3 percent after Barclays upgraded its price target.
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