European stock markets open january 27 2012

European stock markets open january 27 2012 : European stock markets opened lower Friday, as investors paused for breath following strong gains, but increasing uncertainty around reaching a Greek debt swap agreement continued to hamper sentiment.

Against this backdrop, London's FTSE 100 index was down 0.5%, the DAX index in Frankfurt was off by 0.5% and the CAC-40 index in Paris was lower by 0.6%.

Market participants also preferred to take a conservative approach amid continued talks between the Greek government and private-sector creditors. Greece and its private-sector creditors agreed to meet again Friday in a race to negotiate a €100 billion ($131.1 billion) debt write-down for the country. For the latest updates on the stock market, visit Stock Market Today