LONDON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - European shares fell in early trade on Monday, on concern that unrest in Egypt could spread to other parts of the Middle East and cause oil prices to jump further. At 0809 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was down 0.4 percent at 1,139.58 points, after falling 1 percent on Friday.
Heavyweight banks to fall included Barclays, Societe Generale and UniCredit, down between 1.2 and 2.8 percent.
Brent crude hovered just below $100 a barrel on concern anti-government protests in Egypt could spark instability elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa, a region that produces more than a third of the world's oil.
"Egypt wouldn't be a worry in its own right -- the worry is that you would have instability in the oil states. Any instability is a negative for markets," said Bernard McAlinden, investment strategist at NCB Stockbrokers in Dublin.
Europe's biggest low-cost airline Ryanair rose 2.7 percent after re-affirming its full-year profit target after rising passenger numbers and average fares helped offset disruption from strike action and bad weather. (Reporting by Brian Gorman)