A man stands outside the London Stock Exchange in London, Britain, on March 9, 2020. British stocks decreased on Monday, with the benchmark FTSE 100 Index down by 7.69 percent, or 496.78 points, to close at 5,965.77 points. [Photo/Tim Ireland (Xinhua)]

British stocks decreased on Monday, with the benchmark FTSE 100 Index down by 7.69 percent, or 496.78 points, to close at 5,965.77 points.

Polymetal International, a precious metal mining company, soared 0.58 percent, the only gainer of the blue chips.

BP, a British multinational oil and gas company, was the worst performer in the blue chips, with its shares losing 19.48 percent. Royal Dutch Shell Plc B Shares, a major oil and gas company which has a British source for tax purposes, dropped 18.23 percent. Royal Dutch Shell Plc A Shares, a major oil and gas company which has a Dutch source for tax purposes, fell 17.60 percent.

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