Investing.com - European stock markets declined after the open on Tuesday, after data showed China's exports and imports fell in September, fueling concerns over the global economy.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 shed 35 points, or 1.07%, France’s CAC 40 dropped 72 points, or 1.52%, Germany’s DAX 30 lost 109 points, or 1.08%, while London's FTSE 100 dipped 46 points, or 0.71%.
On the data front, Germany's ZEW survey of economic sentiment for October will be released later in the session as well as U.K. inflation figures for September.
Appetite for riskier assets weakened after data showed Chinese imports tumbled 20.4% in September on a year-over-year basis, far worse than expectations for a drop of 15.0% and 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.
Most Asian markets fell in wake of the disappointing China trade report, with commodity producers leading losses amid concerns over weakening demand from the world's second-biggest economy.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a moderately lower open with investors remaining cautious as third-quarter earnings season gets underway.
The Dow futures were down 62 points, or 0.36%, S&P 500 futures dropped 9 points, or 0.41%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures declined 22 points, or 0.49%.
JPMorgan Chase (N:JPM) is scheduled to report after the close Tuesday, beginning a heavy week of earnings reports from financials, which includes Bank of America (N:BAC) and Wells Fargo (N:WFC) on Wednesday, and Citigroup (N:C) and Goldman Sachs (N:GS) on Thursday.