The ISEQ index of Irish shares was down 12.19 points to 2,690.97 by mid-morning today.
The financials all continued their recent recoveries. Irish Life and Permanent led the way, up 25c to €2.35. Allied Irish Banks (up 20c to €1.25) and Bank of Ireland (up 17c to €1.11) were not far behind.
There were some other encouraging gains also, with Dragon Oil climbing 22c to €3.07, and Paddy Power up 60c to €15.40.
The construction industry dragged the market down however, with a profits warning leading to CRH slumping €1.19 to €18.65. Kingspan also suffered, declining 17c to €4.46.
After announcing a 10% fall in pre-tax profits, United Drug fell 15c to €2.05.