European stock markets largely steadied at the open on Wednesday following the previous session's sharp losses triggered by political turmoil in Italy.
London's benchmark FTSE 100 index was fractionally lower at 7 633.72 points, having shed 1.3% on Tuesday.
In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 dropped 0.2% to 12 693.33 points and the Paris CAC 40 lost 0.3% to 5 420.15 - having each shed a similar amount to London on Tuesday.
Milan's FTSE MIB was up 0.3% in initial deals having tumbled 2.7% on Tuesday.
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