FTSE 100 closes 2% lower as coronavirus concerns hit sentiment Britain's blue-chip index finished down 140 points, or 2%, at 6,859 InterContinental Hotels among the day's fallers FTSE 100 closes down 2% Tobacco firms under pressure 5.05pm: FTSE in the red FTSE 100 closed firmly in the red on Tuesday as coronavirus (COVID-19) fears continued to dampen investor sentiment, while the strong pound didn't help the internationalised share index. Britain's blue-chip index finished down 140 points, or 2%, at 6,859. FTSE 250 also fell, shedding over 382 points, or 1.7%, at 22,108. "European markets have been hit hard today, with rising global coronavirus cases serving as a timely reminder that the pandemic is far from over despite recent vaccination progress," said Joshua Mahony, senior market analyst at trading group IG.