Monte dei Paschi woes in focus as stock markets ease

World equities drifted Thursday, with worries about Italy's Monte dei Paschi di Siena bank creating the only disturbance in the force of pre-holiday inertia. London managed a small gain at the close, Paris ended flat and Frankfurt finished the day slightly down. Wall Street was lower approaching midday in New York, slipping a little further away from the elusive 20,000 target on the Dow index.