'Wrong figure' triggered Footsie drama

The City trader who sparked last night's dramatic slump on the Footsie index of 100 leading stocks did so by keying in an incorrect figure.

The London Stock Exchange says its own inquiries have backed earlier speculation that a trader's 'sell' order was inadvertently too high. An extra zero is thought to have turned a transaction for £30minto £300m, sending the Footsie sliding by around 140 points within minutes.