London posted its third straight gain, but finished the session well below its best of the day after breaking and then losing the 6,000 level.
The equity market's early surge came in the wake of programme trade activity triggered by the start of the new quarter. Once the effects of the programme had rippled through the market, share prices came off very rapidly.
"We were very busy for an hour or so, but then everything fizzled out. With no Wall Street and most people keener to watch Tim Henman play Pete Sampras at Wimbledon than to trade, we virtually packed up at lunchtime," said a marketmaker at one big European securities house.
The latest game in the World Cup, involving France and Italy, also attracted a surprisingly large audience in the City, with trading in European stocks at the big investment banks houses grinding to a halt as the football match got under way.
By the close, the FTSE 100 index had retraced much of its earlier gain, finishing the day 28.2 higher at 5,988.4. Over the week, Footsie finished with a gain of 111 points or just short of 2 per cent as London gave a clear demonstration of its relief at the rally in Japan and the decision of the US Federal Reserve to leave interest rates.
There was a good showing too from the market's second-liners, where the FTSE 250 closed just off the day's best and up 27.7 at 5,885.7.
