Sombre mood as City marks anniversary

City traders marked the first anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in sombre mood today.

The Square Mile has been hard hit by the September 11 horrors, which struck at the heart of America's financial centre.

In the City today, trading came to a standstill as workers remembered the horrors of September 11 and thought of colleagues and friends they lost in the attacks.

The London Stock Exchange observed a two-minutes' silence at 1.46pm, the time the first plane hit and traders stopped work to reflect.

Martin Dobson, head dealer at NatWest Stockbrokers, said the trading floor was still as staff stood in silence remembering the events.

"We all stood around our desks in silence. Obviously our thoughts went back to what was happening. Most people knew at least someone - the City is quite a small world."

One trader at another major bank said: "It was just stone silence. It is a very sombre mood today. Everybody knows someone, or knew of someone out there."

And the sombre atmosphere in the City was reflected on the markets, which was notable for quiet trading, with low volumes and a lack of major blue chip announcements.