Banks struggle amid State bailout fears for Italian lender BMPS

European banks struggled to make gains on Thursday as investors digested the prospect of a state bailout for struggling Italian lender Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS).

The FTSE 100 was trading lower by 0.1% at around 7,034 points, dragged down by the likes of Barclays, which was down 0.6%, and Lloyds Banking Group and HSBC which were each down 0.3%.