Shares head south as dealers wait for rates decision

The FTSE-100 Index is off 44.2 points in light trading as dealers await this week's decision on interest rates.

The Footsie is at 5589.5 as traders look to the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee to cut the base rate to 5.5%, the level seem by many as necessary to prevent the economic slowdown in the US and Japan damaging the UK.