Investor caution leaves FTSE trading flat Europe's main equities markets were unsettled in early trade, with losses on most national indices, as investors stayed cautious ahead of next week's meeting of the Federal Reserve, at which the US central bank could start to reduce its stimulus efforts. The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was down 0.1 per cent at 1,244.13, with losses for industrial and resource stocks continuing to outweigh a nascent rebound in the financial sector. The FTSE 100 in London was down 0.1 per cent at 6,439.73 as RSA Insurance tumbled 15.5 per cent to 84.2p after its chief executive resigned at the same time it said its Irish unit would need a £130m capital injection following the recent discovery of accounting irregularities at the unit. Arm Holdings shares neared the top of the London main index after the chip designer announced its acquisition of Geomerics, a creator of technology used in the video games industry. Shares climbed 2.7 per cent to 998p. Banks moved higher, looking good value after recent declines. Lloyds Banking Group added 0.6 per cent to 76.1p, Barclays rose 0.5 per cent to 256p and Standard Chartered was 1.1 per cent higher at £13.07. The Xetra Dax 30 in Frankfurt bucked the trend with a small rise of 0.1 per cent to 9,027.70, as potash producer K+S climbed 3.6 per cent to €20.72. In Paris Axa, the insurer, climbed 1.9 per cent to €18.30 after Immo bought a 49 per cent stake in Axa's P1 portfolio venture. Peugeot shares, however, dropped 6 per cent to €9.90 after General Motors said on Thursday night it was to sell its entire 7 per cent stake in the French carmaker.