European stocks diverge at open before ECB

London: Europe's main stock markets diverged at the start of trading on Thursday, as dealers awaited the latest interest rate call from the European Central Bank.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index shed almost 0.3 percent to 7,360.40 points, as investors also digested results from energy giant Shell and banking group Barclays.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 dipped 0.2 percent to 12,395.90 points, while the Paris CAC 40 rose nearly 0.1 percent to 5,414.15 compared with Wednesday's close.