By Atul Prakash
LONDON (Reuters) - The FTSE 100 hit a five-week low on Thursday, with miners weak on concerns about metals demand and some stocks trading without the attraction of their latest dividend payouts.
Aberdeen Asset Management, 3I Group, Associated British Foods and Babcock were 1.8 to 4.4 percent lower as they went ex-dividend on Thursday.
The UK mining index fell 2.5 percent, the biggest decliner and down for a sixth straight session, as shares of major miners, including Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Randgold Resources and Anglo American, fell 2.1 to 3.1 percent on weaker metals prices.
Iron ore fell to its weakest level in more than five years because of a supply glut. Aluminium, nickel and zinc fell 0.4 to 0.9 percent. Copper was up 0.3 percent, but has fallen 5 percent in three weeks.
"Worries about global growth, particularly the slowdown in China, will continue to put pressure on many commodities," John B. Smith, senior fund manager at Brown Shipley, said.
"FTSE 100 has fallen below 6,500. It looks slightly oversold and might try and rally, but downside pressures will remain into early next year."
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index was down 0.6 percent at 6,464.19 points by 1144 GMT. The benchmark index hit an intra-day low of 6,455.84 points, the lowest since early November.
The index fell 3.6 percent in the first three sessions of this week, hit in part by a slumping oil price, which knocked heavily weighted energy stocks.
Among gainers, mid-cap energy services firm John Wood Group rose 2 percent after it said it had secured a $750 million, five-year contract from BP, and said earnings would be in line with expectations.
"Their message today is encouraging," Mark Ward, head of execution trading at Sanlam Securities, said. "I think they are still undervalued here."
(Additional reporting by Alistair Smout Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)