Equities give up gains despite bank rally

Global equity markets have eased back from last week's highs despite European financials rallying after regulators softened proposed new rules.

In the US, the S&P 500 opened down 0.5% at 1,459 in the first day of trading after adding 4.6% last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4% to 13, 378. Those falls mirrored earlier activity on the FTSE 100, which stood down 0.3% at 6,072 by mid-afternoon despite healthy gains for the banking sector. Barclays, up 3.7% at 287p, was the index's largest riser, with Lloyds and RBS also climbing after regulators eased proposed Basel III rules that will create global liquidity standards for the first time. Financial stocks on the continent also rose, despite major indices such as...