European stock markets slide at open

LONDON: European stock markets slid at the start of trading on Wednesday following some sharp losses in Asia and on Wall Street overnight on concerns about the US economic outlook.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index shed 0.8 percent to 6,968.85 points, as traders also weighed  fresh trouble for the pound on Brexit strains and renewed falls for oil prices.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 retreated 1.2 percent to 11,204.32 points and the Paris CAC 40 lost 1.0 percent to 4,963.18.