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Shares in Monte Paschi suspended from trading after sharp drop

MILAN (Reuters) - Shares in Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena were suspended from trading on Tuesday after hitting a new all-time low, with Italian banking shares hit by a sell-off as an expected wave of consolidation has so far failed to materialise.

By 1356 GMT, the DJ Stoxx index of European banks <.SX7P> lost 2.4 percent.

With a 5.35 percent drop ahead of the trading suspension, Monte dei Paschi is the worst performer on Italy's blue-chip stock index <.FTMIB>. Banca Popolare dell'Emilia Romagna follows with a 3.7 percent drop.

Traders mention concerns about Italian banks as a consolidation process aimed at strengthening a sector weakened by a three-year recession has stalled.

(Reporting by Andrea Mandala, writing by Valentina Za, editing by Agnieszka Flak)