London close: HSBC dampens sentiment as investors wait on Greek news

A plunge in the share price of HSBC, falling commodity stocks and a lack of news regarding Greece ensured that UK equity markets remained in the red on Monday, with investors cautious with shares near all-time highs.HSBC dropped nearly 5% after the global lender missed forecasts with a sharp drop in profits for 2014, while stocks in the mining and oil sectors were tracking commodity prices lower.The FTSE 100 finished 0.04% lower at 6,912.16, pulling back swiftly after reaching a high of 6,943.61 following the HSBC results announcement shortly after the open. The index briefly surpassed its all-time closing high of 6,930.20 reached in December 1999, but failed to exceed the intraday record of 6,950.60."It was yet another sleepy Monday for the markets, as a slow news day left investors struggling to find a reason to buy," said analyst Connor Campbell from Spreadex."The FTSE spent its day largely being crippled by the triple threat of falling oil stocks, a struggling mining sector and the HSBC dilemma."Investors spent most of the day waiting on an announcement from Athens. Greece was expected to submit details on its reform and budgetary measures it plans to take as part of its four-month bailout extension agreed on Friday with Eurogroup leaders."We expect it to be approved but probably not until after market close in Europe. If the programme is not approved, there will be an extraordinary Eurogroup finance minister meeting tomorrow," said analysts at Danske Bank.HSBC and commodity stocks weigh on marketsHSBC reported a 17% drop in pre-tax annual profit to $18.68bn for 2014, compared with the $21.5bn consensus forecast, after being hit by fines for its involvement in the foreign exchange-rigging scandal.Chairman Douglas Flint said recent revelations about its Swiss arm offering tax evasion advice have brought "shame" on the bank. Meanwhile, chief executive Stuart Gulliver was forced to fend off accusations by The Guardian that he himself had sheltered millions of pounds of his own money in a Swiss account.Other banking stocks were mixed, with emerging markets-focused peer Standard Chartered falling sharply, but RBS, Barclays and Lloyds edging higher. Lloyds advanced after the UK government reduced its stake in the lender to below 24% with the sale of £500m worth of shares.Miners such as Anglo American, Rio Tinto, Antofagasta, Fresnillo, BHP Billiton and Randgold Resources were registering heavy losses by the close. Chilean copper miner Antofagasta fell despite trimming its cash cost guidance for 2015, while Rio Tinto was dampened by a downgrade to 'neutral' by UBS.Primark owner and food ingredients group Associated British Foods rose after saying that underlying trading in the first half has been in line with expectations. While profits for the full year are forecast to fall, first-half adjusted earnings should be flat, it said.Distribution group Bunzl impressed with its its full-year results, revealing a 3% increase in pre-tax profit and a 10% hike in the dividend. Market MoverstechMARK 3,157.86 +0.65%FTSE 100 6,912.16 -0.04%FTSE 250 17,167.98 +0.27%FTSE 100 - RisersG4S (GFS) 293.20p +3.28%easyJet (EZJ) 1,798.00p +2.63%Shire Plc (SHP) 5,190.00p +2.47%Admiral Group (ADM) 1,496.00p +2.26%International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 562.00p +2.00%British American Tobacco (BATS) 3,727.50p +1.96%London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) 2,506.00p +1.83%Schroders (SDR) 3,074.00p +1.75%SABMiller (SAB) 3,660.00p +1.68%3i Group (III) 490.00p +1.62%FTSE 100 - FallersStandard Chartered (STAN) 928.10p -4.66%HSBC Holdings (HSBA) 577.20p -4.63%Anglo American (AAL) 1,198.00p -3.89%Tullow Oil (TLW) 392.10p -3.73%Intertek Group (ITRK) 2,461.00p -3.38%Fresnillo (FRES) 802.50p -2.96%Antofagasta (ANTO) 732.50p -2.79%Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,150.50p -2.69%BHP Billiton (BLT) 1,547.00p -2.15%Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 4,921.00p -1.87%FTSE 250 - RisersSmith (DS) (SMDS) 360.30p +3.77%UDG Healthcare Public Limited Company (UDG) 455.60p +3.24%Bank of Georgia Holdings (BGEO) 1,960.00p +3.16%Pace (PIC) 335.50p +2.91%Dechra Pharmaceuticals (DPH) 935.00p +2.86%Essentra (ESNT) 990.00p +2.80%Marston's (MARS) 153.40p +2.75%Barr (A.G.) (BAG) 684.00p +2.70%Galliford Try (GFRD) 1,495.00p +2.68%Grainger (GRI) 211.50p +2.52%FTSE 250 - FallersPolymetal International (POLY) 562.50p -5.78%Acacia Mining (ACA) 268.00p -5.30%AL Noor Hospitals Group (ANH) 948.00p -5.20%Ophir Energy (OPHR) 135.90p -5.16%Ladbrokes (LAD) 115.70p -5.16%Premier Oil (PMO) 168.50p -4.96%Hunting (HTG) 466.50p -4.05%Vedanta Resources (VED) 574.00p -4.01%Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 793.50p -3.41%Cairn Energy (CNE) 201.00p -3.18%