With Wall Street down again in early trading after last week's late slump, European markets are around their lows for the day.
Technology shares are still under pressure, on concerns there might have been a bubble developing in the sector, but building materials group CRH is one of the few risers in the FTSE 100. The company has climbed 2p to £17.77 following news of the proposed merger between Swiss cement maker Holcim and French rival Lafarge. Not only could this prompt further consolidation, but CRH is tipped as a possible buyer since the merger group is likely to have to sell subsidiaries to meet competition concerns.
But housebuilders have subsided, with some traders attributing the falls to concerns that the price of cement would rise following the planned deal.
Barratt Developments is down 20.4p at 389.5p, Persimmon is 45p lower at £13.01 and Bovis Homes has fallen 33p to 852.5p.
