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According to Reuters, the index of top companies was 0.5 per cent lower by 09:18 BST, putting it on 5,382.12 points.
There were slides of between 1.5 per cent and 3.6 per cent for Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays as financial stocks continued to suffer due to concerns regarding debt problems in Europe.
And the dropping price of crude oil resulted in many major oil firms beginning the day lower, with Royal Dutch Shell, Tullow Oil and Cairn Energy all retreating.
John Haynes of Rensburg Sheppards was quoted by the news agency as saying the worries about debt in the eurozone are "giving investors pause for thought".
"It is reminding the market that a strong recovery is not a done deal," he added.
In Europe, the FTSEurofirst 300 was largely unchanged, falling 0.03 per cent to 1,032.92 points at 10:33 BST.
Posted by Clive Arneil
