European stock markets fall further at open

European stock markets / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL ROLAND /

Europe’s main stock markets fell at the start of trading Wednesday, extending the losses seen earlier this week on tensions over North Korea.

London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index dropped 0.4 percent to 7,345.81 points compared with the close on Tuesday.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt’s DAX 30 index shed 0.4 percent to 12,071.90 points and the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.6 percent to 5,054.32 on the eve of the European Central Bank’s regular policy meeting.