After rising to its highest level in eight weeks during the day, the FTSE 100 finished on a sour note yesterday, 4.9 points down on the day before at 4,180.7.
Traders had hoped that buoyant retail sales figures in the US would boost the markets, but oil companies BP and Shell had a bad day, attributed in part in a slump in crude oil prices in the wake of the Iraq war.
It was an unspectacular day for leading travel firms, with First Choice shares staying steady at 118p and MyTravel unchanged too at 26.5p.
British Airways closed up 3.75p at 172.25p, and easyJet gained 0.75p to finish at 235.5.
