FTSE ends down on weak US consumer report

Stocks in London closed lower on Tuesday after a disappointing report on US consumer spending added to worries about the weak economy, overshadowing expected passage of the debt-ceiling deal in Congress.The US Commerce Department earlier reported that personal expenditures fell 0.2 percent in June from May. Analysts had expected a slight increase of around 0.1 percent.The FTSE 100 index of top shares closed down 0.97 percent at 5,718.39 points.Lloyds was the most traded stock of the day with 218 million shares changing hands, followed by Vodafone, which saw 108 million shares switching owners.Silver producer Fresnillo was the best blue-chip performer, rising 4.56 percent -- 79 pence -- to finish at 1,813, followed by utility company Severn Trent, which climbed 2.47 percent -- 35 pence -- to close at 1,451.Financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown led the fallers, slipping 12.7 percent -- 72.5 pence -- to close at 506.5, followed by the hotel operator Intercontinental, which was down 5.21 percent -- 63 pence -- to finish at 1,147.On the currency markets, a pound was worth 1.628 dollars at 1604 GMT, fractionally up from 1.627 at the same time Monday, while the euro stood at 1.1453, up from 1.144 over the same period.