European stock markets closed mostly lower but London's FTSE 100 bucked the trend to finish flat at 6,215 points.
In Paris, the CAC fell 22 points to 5,041 and in Frankfurt the Dax was down 35 points to 7,017.
Banks and insurers had put European shares under pressure, after UBS sought to purge itself of the impact of the credit crisis and Swiss Re announced another round of writedowns. UBS shares fell 5.2% and were the largest negative weight on the broader European equity market.
Tullow Oil was the highest mover on the FTSE, up 24% to £9.40 after announcing an oil discovery off the coast of Ghana.
The ISEQ was down 85 points (1.31%) at 6,390. The banks were down slightly, with AIB down 14 cent to €13.85 and Bank of Ireland down 12 cent to €9.00. Tullow Oil, also listed on the ISEQ, was up 25% in Ireland at €12.10. Ryanair was today's big loser, down almost 18 cent to €2.98.
On Wall Street, the Nasdaq was slightly up this afternoon, rising 7 points to 2,471. The Dow Jones was down 17 points, however, at 12,953.
The Hang Seng closed 78 points up at 26,262.
