Travel related stocks slide on FTSE100

Leading London shares were weak in early deals in the wake of a bleak session overnight from overseas markets, with Wall Street and Asia slumping after the bombs yesterday in Madrid re-awakened worries over potential international terrorist attacks.

At 9am, the FTSE100 index was 34.6 points lower at 4,410.6. Blue chip airline BA was the biggest faller in early deals, slipping 16.5p to £2.68. Internet travel group Lastminute.com shed 5p to £2.04, and Euro tunnel lost a 1p to £0.33-1/2.

Blue chip hotels groups suffered as well, with Hilton dropping 6.25p to £5.02 , and Intercontinental Hotels was down 16p to £5.02 in early deals.

Technology shares moved higher, buoyed by good news from networking giant Oracle. The US firm yesterday reported an 11% gain in fiscal third-quarter profit, meeting analysts' expectations with a revenue boost in all major regions.

In reaction, IT services group LogicaCMG added 2.25p at £2.54 and software Misys moved up 0-1/4 pence at £2.09-1/2.