European stock markets staged broad-based losses at the open on Wednesday, as investors got jittery ahead of a meeting between Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Eurogroup chief Jean-Claude Juncker later in the day. Samaras is asking for “breathing space” to revive the economy, he told German daily Bild. The Stoxx Europe 600 index dropped 0.8% to 270.47, weighed by banks and resource firms.
Heavyweight HSBC Holdings PLC fell 1.1%, Standard Chartered PLC lost 1.3% and Barclays PLC tripped 1.8%. The U.K. FTSE 100 index traded 0.9% lower at 5,802.56.
Miner BHP Billiton PLC gave up 1.8% after reporting a drop in annual profit. In France, oil firm Total SA shed 1.1%, tracking oil prices lower.
The CAC 40 index fell 0.9% to 3,481.22. Among German stocks, Commerzbank AG fell 1.7% and Deutsche Bank AG dropped 1.1%. The DAX 30 index was off 0.8% at 7,032.09.
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