(MENAFN- ProactiveInvestors)London's blue-chips experienced a late swoon as US markets headed south. The FTSE 100 index closed at 6580 down 75 points on the day and 195 points on the week. Mining stocks led the retreat as commodity prices weakened further. Antofagasta (LON:ANTO) Glencore (LON:GLEN) BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) and Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) formed four of the five worst performers among blue-chips with falls of more than 3.5%. Nestling uncomfortably in the dog-house alongside the miners was tool and plant hire firm Ashtead (LON:AHT) which shed 3.5% as US new home sales numbers for June provided a nasty shock. Economists had pencilled in a figure of 548000 for annualised home sales but the actual figure was 482000. Oil prices were on the slide again setting a gloomy backdrop for next week's second quarter updates from sector heavyweights BP (LON:BP.) Royal Dutch Shell (LON:RDSB) and BG Group (LON:BG.) all of which fell by more than 1.5%. Guinness and Smirnoff vodka group Diageo (LON:DGE) which is also reporting next week reversed 47p to 1860p as it emerged that US financial regulators were probing its US distribution practices. Diageo said it was working with the Securities & Exchange Commission to provide details of its distribution methods after the Wall Street Journal reported that the SEC was checking whether the company shipped excess inventory to boost results. Vodafone (LON:VOD) up 2.8% at 238.45p provided some cheer reporting a good start to the year as the European market bounced back but it warned that competition was still strong. Bookie Ladbrokes (LON:LAD) lost 4.2p at 124.1p as it confirmed plans for a merger with rival Gala Coral. It also said operating profit this year would be hit by increased investment in marketing. Among the minnows Mosman Oil & Gas (LON:MSMN) jumped almost 24% to 2.625p after it revealed it is in advanced talks to make a 'transformational' acquisition. If completed the deal would provide immediate production and cash flow the New Zealand-based oil and gas group said. Logistics firm Clipper (LON:CLG) sailed 10.5p higher to 225p as it announced a new collaboration with the John Lewis Partnership focusing on click-and-collect shopping.
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