European stocks opened down Tuesday after US oil prices ducked below zero overnight for the first time, as coronavirus wipes out global crude demand and sparks a vast supply glut.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index of major blue-chip companies dived 1.4 percent to 5,728.99 points, Frankfurt's DAX erased 1.7 percent to 10,487.41 points and the Paris CAC 40 shed 1.4 percent to 4,463.56 compared with Monday's closing levels.