A late surge, inspired by the strength of Wall Street, saw blue-chips' losses pared.
Meanwhile, the Bank of England's decision to keep rates steady came with a twist in its tail, according to spread betting firm IG Index, with minutes revealing that continued oil price weakness is driving a greater expectation that inflation, and thus interest rates, would be lower for longer than many expect.
Despite that, the FTSE 100 closed 39 points, or 0.6%, lower at 6,088.
Sports Direct (LON:SPD), down 11%, was a drag on the index after disappointing interims, as was South Africa-focused finance house Old Mutual (LON:OML) after the surprise dismissal last night of the South African finance minister, which sparked a run on the rand.
Old Mutual shed 10.9% while another South African finance house, the FTSE 250 stock Investec (LON:INVP), tumbled 9.5% to 469.9p.
An investor presentation by debt-ridden commodities house Glencore (LON:GLEN) appears to have got the City back onside, with the shares rising 7% to 88.9p.
The best performer of the day, however, was Forte Energy (LON:FTE), which said it expects to reveal a corporate transaction in the next week or so that will see a recapitalisation.
The company added that the deal would also see a change of business, out of the resources sector. Shares rocketed 355%% to 0.03p.
Security firm Westminster Group (LON:WSG) rose for the second day in succession, with investors climbing on board after yesterday's announcement of a new airport security deal and good news on its proposed West African ferry delays, where the company has not had the best of luck with its flagship vessel.
Shares rose 16.3%.
Independent Oil & Gas (LON:IOG) hardened 0.875p to 7.625p after it told investors that a contract has now been signed with AGR Well Management for the planned Skipper appraisal well.
Worst performer of the day was Concha (LON:CHA), which virtually halved in price. The company issued a statement late in the day saying it knew of no new developments that might explain the share price fall and that, as an investment company, it is constantly reviewing multiple potential acquisition opportunities.