European stocks open lower; London loses 0.42%

Europe's main stock markets fell at the start of trading on Tuesday as investors took profits from recent gains, with London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares down 0.42 percent at 5,376.56 points. Frankfurt's DAX 30 declined 0.37 percent to 5,825.91 points and in Paris the CAC 40 retreated 0.30 percent to 3,151.87. European shares and the euro jumped Monday as investors cheered a Franco-German pledge to shore up European banks. Asian markets meanwhile soared for a fourth straight day on Tuesday as dealers followed a rally on Wall Street sparked by the French and German promise to back up beleaguered eurozone banks. Adding to the sense of optimism was this week's decision by France, Belgium and Luxembourg to bail out Dexia bank, the first lender to be dragged under by the eurozone debt crisis.