Europe: Stocks nudge lower at open

[LONDON] Europe's main stock markets slid at the start of trading on Tuesday, despite news that Finnish telecoms giant Nokia was in advanced talks to buy French rival Alcatel-Lucent.

The benchmark CAC 40 index in Paris dipped 0.03 per cent to 5,252.48 points, but Alcatel-Lucent shares surged by almost 17 per cent in initial deals.

Elsewhere, London's FTSE 100 index dropped 0.26 per cent to 7,044.90 points and Frankfurt's DAX 30 also shed 0.26 per cent to 12,306.36 compared with Friday's close.

AFP