LONDON (Reuters) - European shares opened lower on Wednesday as continuing trade tensions and spreading worries about emerging market currencies cut investor appetite for risky assets.
At 0728 GMT, the pan-European STOXX 600 <.STOXX> was down 0.4 percent, with losses spread across industry sectors and trading centres.
A number of corporate announcements triggered strong swings, notably in BioMerieux <BIOX.PA>.
The French pharmaceutical group was the best performer on the index, up 8.3 percent after better than expected first-half results and a raised 2018 outlook.
In the same sector, Bayer <BAYGn.DE> fell 3 percent after reporting a disappointing 3.9 percent gain in underlying core earnings for the quarter.
Another French firm was also among the highest risers. Outdoor advertising group JCDecaux <JCDX.PA> added 6.8 percent after a rating upgrade by BofA Merrill.
Snuff and cigar maker Swedish Match <SWMA.ST> fell 5.2 pct after an institutional investor sold a stake of 4.3 million shares at a discount.
(Reporting by Julien Ponthus; Editing by Catherine Evans)
