Nigeria, April 9 -- European equities opened sharply lower on Wednesday, retreating from the previous day's gains as investors reacted to the rollout of sweeping U.S. tariffs under President Donald Trump's escalating trade policies.

As discovered by TNC, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index dropped by 2.55% at the opening bell, with every major sector sliding into negative territory. The steepest losses were seen in banking, mining, and energy stocks, which plunged by 3%, 3.9%, and 3.6% respectively, signaling growing investor anxiety over the potential economic fallout.

Among key national indexes, France's CAC 40 led the decline with a 2.6% fall, Germany's DAX slipped 2.1%, and London's FTSE 100 lost 2% early in the session. The broad sell...