Europe: Stock markets slide at open

[LONDON] Europe's main stock markets slid at the start of trading on Tuesday following sharp losses in Asia and on Wall Street as traders banked profits from recent strong gains.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index shed 0.5 per cent to 7,635.25 points compared with the close on Monday.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 retreated 0.8 per cent to 13,223.97 points and the Paris CAC 40 lost 0.5 per cent to 5,493.93.

AFP