| 1 | Then, in an instant, the index plunged 350 points and finished deep in the red. | |
| 2 | And then oil prices tumbled, making ethanol significantly less competitive in the energy marketplace. | |
| 3 | On the foreign exchange markets, the euro was trading at $1.359 to the dollar, having fallen sharply on Friday. | |
| 4 | In London, the FTSE - 100 share index slumped as news of the latest emergency emerged, closing 1.7 per cent down. | |
| 5 | The impact of this on imports was exaggerated in the fourth quarter by an aggressive run down of stocks of steel and other materials. |