London stocks closed lower on Thursday after the Bank of England’s narrow decision to keep interest rates unchanged at 4% dampened confidence, while a tech-led sell-off on Wall Street added to the risk-off mood. The FTSE 100 fell 0.4% to 9,735.78, while the FTSE 250 dropped 0.9% ors digested the Bank’s close 5–4 vote to hold borrowing costs steady — a move that fuelled speculation of a rate cut in December. Sentiment was further weakened by declines in US technology stocks, with heavy selling in Salesforce and Amazon dragging down Wall Street and global markets late in the session.