Europe: Stock markets slump at open

[LONDON] Europe's main stock markets slumped at the start of trading on Thursday following renewed slides on Wall Street.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index shed 1.4 per cent to 6,668.50 points awaiting British retail sales data and the outcome of the Bank of England's regular monetary policy meeting.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 lost 1.3 per cent to 10,621.18 points and the Paris CAC 40 retreated 1.4 per cent to 4,709.75 compared with closing values Wednesday.

Elsewhere Thursday, Tokyo led a rout of Asian shares, mirroring big losses on Wall Street Wednesday after the Federal Reserve defied unprecedented pressure from US President Donald Trump and raised interest rates, sparking fears the move could choke economic growth.

AFP