European stock markets slide at open

London: European stocks slid at the opening of trade on Friday, following Asian markets lower on signs of weakness in the Chinese economy.

After 10 minutes of trading, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index shed 0.9 percent to 6,818.70 points.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 fell 1.1 percent to 10,809.47 points and in Paris the CAC 40 gave up 0.8 percent to 4,857.72.