FTSE 100 slips towards 8,200 heading into the close

The US stock markets are still mixed right now, but the Dow Jones is off its worst levels, whilst still maintaining a negative position on the day. The noted rotation in favour of tech from the opening has now seen the Nasdaq 100 extend to above 20,500. At the same time the European stock markets are all in the red still heading into the close in a few minutes from now. The FTSE 100 has lost the most ground today in percentage and points terms, as it falls back more than 100 points from its earlier high and slips towards 8,200. The driver for this remains investors selling UK stocks ahead of the budget tomorrow. Whatever happens it is surely going to be a very busy day across the UK markets come lunchtime, when the details of that budget are released. Meantime, this evening Quick News will be on hand later this evening to see what the Alphabet Q3 results have to offer. The FTSE 100 is just now trading at 8,218