Investors hit as £44bn wiped off value of blue-chip shares

BELEAGUERED investors took a fresh pounding yesterday as £44 billion was wiped off the value of blue-chip shares.

Weak trading was compounded by a dismal start on Wall Street, where an update on consumer spending from retail giant Walmart dented sentiment.

Weaker-than-expected economic data also hit home and the Dow Jones Industrial Average and tech-laden Nasdaq sunk heavily into the red.