LONDON (Reuters) - Barclays' shares fell on Thursday, making the stock the worst-performer in percentage terms on the UK's main equity index, after the New York Attorney General filed a securities fraud lawsuit against the bank.
BARCLAYS (BARC.LO)shares were down by 3.2 percent at 222.65 pence in early session trading, making Barclays the worst stock in percentage terms on Britain's benchmark FTSE 100 index, which was up by 0.1 percent.
Barclays also underperformed a 0.1 percent rise on the STOXX Europe 600 Banking Index.
The New York Attorney General on Wednesday filed a securities fraud lawsuit against Barclays PLC for giving an unfair edge to its U.S. high-frequency trading clients even as it said it was protecting other customers from the traders.
In an emailed statement, Barclays said: "We take these allegations very seriously." It added that it was cooperating with authorities, is looking at the matter internally, and that the integrity of markets was a top priority for the bank.
(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Pravin Char)
