Europe: Stocks slide at open

EUROPEAN stock markets slid at the start of trading on Friday (Oct 21) following overnight losses in Asia and on Wall Street.

London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index dropped 0.5 per cent to 6,909.89 points and the pound was lower versus the US dollar and euro as markets assessed Britain’s political crisis and further weak UK economic data.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt’s DAX index retreated 0.9 per cent to 12,647.36 points and the Paris CAC 40 shed 1.1 per cent to 6,018.80. AFP