Miners led top-flight stocks lower, after the market delivered its strongest weekly gains in almost four years last week.
The FTSE 100 Index was down 45 points to 6371.2, after jumping more than 280 points last week, or 4.7 per cent - its strongest performance since December 2011.
The market also broke its run of eight days of gains in a row, dragged down by mining as well as banking stocks.
France's Cac 40 was slightly down, while Germany's DAX was just ahead. In New York the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged ahead in early trading.
The pound was slightly up against the US dollar at just over 1.53 with little economic data to react to, it also edged up against the euro at 1.35.
Under pressure miner and trader Glencore was the biggest faller in the top flight, down 8p to 121.1p, after it said it had begun the process to sell its Cobar copper mine in Australia and Lomas Bayas copper mine in Chile.
The miner's house broker Citigroup said these assets are worth a combined total of around $1 billion (£651 million).
The London-listed Swiss-based firm, which has lost around two-thirds of its value this year, recently pledged to investors to make disposals and cut its $30bn (£20bn) debt mountain by a third.
Negative mining sentiment also sent Anglo American down 34.8p to 691.7p and Rio Tinto 62.5p lower to 2537p.
Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered was down 24p to 762.7p, after Investec cut the lender's rating to "hold" from "buy".
The move comes after the London-listed bank confirmed on Friday it would cut 1,000 management jobs, in the face of slowing Asian markets.
Fears over costs in the banking industry left Royal Bank of Scotland 6p lower to 328.3p and Lloyds Banking Group down 1.3p to 75.9p.
However, British Airways owner International Airlines Group was a strong riser, up 7.5p at 570p, after Goldman Sachs resumed its coverage of the business with a "buy" rating.
The move comes after analyst comment last week that profit margins the airline industry will peak this year, before dipping in 2016.
Outside the top flight, polling agency YouGov said its annual profits grew - despite failing to predict the result of the UK general election.
The firm - which collects consumer and political data in Europe, the US and Asia - said its pre-tax profit lifted almost four times to £2.7 million.
But it said: "The widespread media coverage of Scottish referendum and general election polling stimulated the flow of inquiries from a wide range of corporate and agency clients."
Shares in the polling group lifted 0.5p to 116p.
The biggest risers in the FTSE 100 Index were Smiths Group up 26p at 1051p, Coca-Cola HBC up 26p at 1499p, International Airlines Group up 7.5p at 570p and Unilever up 31p at 2817p.
The biggest fallers in the FTSE 100 Index were Glencore down 8p at 121.1p, Anglo American down 34.8p at 691.7p, Rolls-Royce down 29.5p at 726p and Antofagasta down 19.5p at 576.5p.
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