FTSE ends down on weak banks

LONDON (Reuters) - The FTSE 100 .FTSE ended slightly lower in a choppy session on Monday as investors switched from banks, retailers and housebuilders into miners and energy stocks.

The benchmark closed down 4.6 points, or 0.1 percent, at 5,450.2, after swinging from a loss of 0.5 percent to a gain of 0.8 percent during the session. Trading volume was the fourth lowest this year.

Heavyweight commodity shares rose but pared earlier gains as metal and crude prices turned negative late in the day.

Rio Tinto (RIO.L), Anglo American (AAL.L), Antofagasta ATNO.L, Vedanta Resources (VED.L) and Eurasian Natural Resources (ENRC.L) put on between 0.2 and 2.1 percent.

BHP Billiton (BLT.L) shares were up 0.5 percent as it posted a 30 percent rise in half-year profit and increased its dividend, saying it was in good shape to weather a downturn in the commodities cycle.

Energy stocks were also up. Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L), Tullow Oil (TLW.L) and Cairn Energy (CNE.L) advanced 0.9 to 3.7 percent.

"You can't ignore the fact that volumes are significantly lower than they normally are," said Tim Hughes, head of sales trading at IG Index. "It kind of plays out the volatility ... That's why we have seen this yo-yo effect."

"In the morning we had decent figures from Billiton, but the gloom among the real estate sector and house prices ... dragged everything down," Hughes said.

Retailers and travel and leisure stocks failed to turn around despite easing crude prices in late trading. British Airways (BAY.L), cruise operator Carnival (CCL.L), Marks & Spencer (MKS.L), clothing retailer Next (NXT.L) and home improvements retailer Kingfisher (KGF.L) fell 1.4 to 3.2 percent.