Europe: Stocks fall at open

EUROPEAN stock markets fell slightly at the start of trading on Friday (Sep 23), extending the previous session’s much bigger losses after central banks worldwide hiked interest rates.

London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index dipped 0.1 per cent to 7,154.20 points ahead of a UK budget aimed at tackling sky-high inflation.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt’s DAX index dropped 0.3 per cent to 12,496.46 points and the Paris CAC 40 shed 0.3 per cent to 5,900.68.

Eurozone indices closed down nearly 2 per cent Thursday, and London more than 1 per cent, in a week when central banks have again hiked interest rates by big amounts in a bid to cool inflation. AFP