Share prices in Europe fell sharply in the first hours of trading on Monday, following large declines in Asian markets.
Sell orders were placed across the board immediately after the markets opened.
As of 8:00 UTC, the benchmark index in Frankfurt dropped 2.3 percent from Friday’s close.
London shares lost 2.2 percent, while share prices in Paris fell 2.1 percent.
Market players say investors are increasingly wary of a US economic slowdown and its possible impact on the European economy.
They also say investors are now more risk-averse after the yen’s advance against the dollar and the plunge in the Japanese and other Asian stock markets.