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The FTSE 100 recorded its worst year in 2008 since its establishment in 1984 falling over 30 per cent.

After a year dominated by bank collapses and the a rise and free-fall drop of oil prices, the worst performing sectors were banks and miners.

The index started 2008 at 6,457.

It ended the year today at 4,434, after striking a low of 3,665.21 in October as the credit crisis jarred global confidence.

Over the year a fall of 31.3 per cent was recorded.

This accounts to around £150 billion lost over the year.

The biggest falls in London were recorded for HBOS – which ended the year down a massive 90 per cent and eventually ended the year merging with rival Lloyds TSB and taking investment from the government.

Fellow bank – and fellow taker of government funding – Royal Bank of Scotland saw the second biggest falls, down 87 per cent.

Miners Kazakhmys and Xstrata both lost some 80 per cent of their value.

The top ten losers were completed by more miners and financials, 3i Group, London Stock Exchange Group, Rio Tinto, Lloyds TSB Group, Vedanta Resources and Barclays.

However, some gains were recorded.

The top three risers on the market were gold miner Randgold (up 57 per cent), British Energy (up 47 per cent, pharma giant AstraZeneca (up 32 per cent) and insurer Amlin (up 28 per cent).

Sanjeev Shah, portfolio manager of Fidelity’s Special Situations fund, put forward some optimism for 2009.

He said: “We may not have passed the trough for stocks yet and the economy is likely to be in recession for some time but analysis of fundamentals leads me to be more optimistic about stock market opportunities than I have for a while.”