Fears over weak growth prompt global stock markets to fall

London, New York, Frankfurt and Paris all experienced declines, with much of the focus on the banking sector

Stock markets around the globe have plunged into the red, amid fears that weaker growth will leave banks exposed to a fresh economic slowdown.

Investors dumped shares and piled into the safe havens of gold and government bonds in a resumption of the panic conditions that marked the start to trading in 2016.