Defensives pull FTSE down 0.4 pct at end of Q2

* Defensives weak at end of second quarter

* Insurers retrace previous session gains

* UK final Q1 GDP awaited

By Jon Hopkins

LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - Britain's leading share index shed 0.4 percent in early trade on Tuesday reflecting position-squaring at the end of the second quarter and caution ahead of final UK GDP data, with defensives leading the fallers.

By 0805 GMT, the FTSE 100 .FTSE index was 16.93 points lower at 4,277.10 after gaining 1.3 percent in the previous session.

The blue chip index is up 9.4 percent so far on the quarter and on track for its best such performance since the final quarter of 2003. The index has gained 22.5 percent since touching a six-year low on March 9.

"We are struggling a little bit (today) but to be honest we have had all from the market that we could possibly have expected ... considering that we are still someway away from 'proper recovery', and all we are doing is just flattening out, said David Buik, senior partner at BGC Partners.