The prospect of a two-day shutdown for Wall Street markets due to the threat of Hurricane Sandy meant European trade was under pressure today.
The superstorm also had a bearing on the insurance sector as the US east coast prepares for the possibility of 70mph winds and an 11-foot storm surge.
The FTSE 100 Index was 21.2 points lower at 5785.4 after a mixed session for markets in Asia, where investors were focused on whether the Bank of Japan will announce new measures to help the country's economy this week.
Among the session's biggest movers in London, insurance underwriter Catlin was 5% or 22.1p lower at 451p in the FTSE 250 Index due to the storm fears, while counterpart Hiscox was down 11.85p to 472.35p.
Back in the top flight, shares in FT publisher Pearson were 1% lower after it inked a deal with Germany's Bertelsmann to combine its Penguin book publishing arm with Random House.
The new venture, which will be called Penguin Random House, will have an estimated one quarter share of the market for English language book sales and generate annual revenues in the region of £2.5 billion.
Shares in Pearson were 13p lower at 1207p.
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