Investing.com - European stocks opened sharply lower on Wednesday, as global growth concerns persisted after China's weak export and import data published on Tuesday and as investors remained cautious ahead of third-quarter earnings season.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 lost 1.25%, France’s CAC 40 plummeted 1.33%, while Germany’s DAX 30 tumbled 1.38%.
Markets were still jittery after official data released on Tuesday showed that Chinese imports tumbled 20.4% in September on a year-over-year basis, the eleventh straight monthly decline.
Exports fell by a smaller than forecast 3.7% from a year earlier, resulting in a trade surplus of $60.34 billion.
The weak data underlined concerns over weakening demand for the world’s second largest economy.
Financial stocks were broadly lower, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) retreated 0.79% and 1.02%, while Germany's Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) and Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) tumbled 1.25% and 0.94%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Unicredit (MI:CRDI) and Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) lost 0.95% and 0.75% respectively, while Spanish banks BBVA (MC:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MC:SAN) dropped 0.51% and 0.95%.
Elsewhere, ASML Holding (AS:ASML) NV plummeted 6.75% after Europe’s largest maker of semiconductor equipment projected sales below analysts' estimates.
Draegerwerk ST A. O.N. (DE:DRWG) added to losses, with shares down 9.55% after the medical supplies company lowered its annual profitability and sales forecasts due to a slowdown in Asia.
In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 lost 1.10%, weighed by sharp losses in the energy sector.
Shares in Rio Tinto (L:RIO) and Bhp Billiton (L:BLT) tumbled 1.43% and 1.98% respectively, while Anglo American (L:AAL) plunged 2.36% and Glencore (L:GLEN) dove 4.72%.
Financial stocks were also broadly lower, as Lloyds Banking (L:LLOY) slid 0.48% and HSBC Holdings (L:HSBA) retreated 0.77%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (L:RBS) and Barclays (L:BARC) lost 1.11% and 1.18% respectively.
On the upside, shares in Hargreaves Lansdown (L:HRGV) surged 4.13% after the investment group reported an increase in third-quarter revenue.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.16% fall, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.18% loss, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.40% drop.