European stock markets halt sharp losses at open

European stock markets largely steadied at the open on Wednesday following the previous session's sharp losses triggered by political turmoil in Italy.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index was fractionally lower at 7,633.72 points, having shed 1.3 percent Tuesday.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 dropped 0.2 percent to 12,693.33 points and the Paris CAC 40 lost 0.3 percent to 5,420.15 -- having each shed a similar amount to London on Tuesday.

Milan's FTSE MIB was up 0.3 percent in initial deals having tumbled 2.7 percent Tuesday.

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