European stocks drop at open

LONDON: Europe's main stock markets dropped at the start of trading on Friday as investors reacted to a batch mixed earnings updates.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index fell 0.5 percent to 7,408.99 points compared with the close on Thursday.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 index dipped 0.1 percent to 12,151.38 points and the Paris CAC 40 shed 0.8 percent to 5,144.03.