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* FTSE 100 down 3.2%, FTSE 250 slips 2.1%
* Glencore slides on delaying dividend payout
* Barclays , HSBC, StanChart, Lloyds, RBS drag FTSE 100
April 1 (Reuters) - London's stock markets suffered sharp
losses on Wednesday, as banking shares dived after suspending
dividend payments, while plunging factory activity across Asia
underlined the economic hit from the coronavirus pandemic.
Shares of Barclays BARC.L , HSBC HSBA.L , Lloyds Banking
Group LLOY.L , Royal Bank of Scotland RBS.L and Standard
Chartered STAN.L dropped between 3% and 7%, dragging down the
blue-chip FTSE 100 .FTSE by 3.2%.
The lenders said on Tuesday they would suspend dividend
payments, bowing to pressure from the regulator, to save their
capital as a buffer against potential losses from the virus
outbreak. The FTSE 100 recorded its worst quarter since 1987 on
Tuesday amid mounting evidence of the economic damage from the
pandemic that led to a 27% increase in the number of deaths in
Britain on Tuesday. Commodity miner and trader Glencore GLEN.L fell 3.3% as it
delayed its $2.6 billion dividend pay out for this year and said
there could be material disruption to production due to the
coronavirus.