At 0837 GMT, the STOXX 600 was down 0.1 percent with bourses all across Europe losing ground as a new batch for corporate updates failed to change a risk-averse mood.

Oil prices, Asian shares and U.S. equity futures also fell after the International Monetary Fund trimmed its global growth forecasts and a survey showed increasing pessimism among business chiefs as the rich and powerful gather at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Swiss bank UBS was down 4.7 percent after its  fourth-quarter earnings sent jitters across a sector which is struggling to recover after a catastrophic 2018 during which it lost nearly 30 percent of its value.

British online financial trading company IG Group was the worst overall performer on the STOXX 600, down just over 10 pct as it reported a drop in profit as global regulators tighten rules on products that allow retail customers to make high-risk financial bets.

A bright spot was German fashion house Hugo Boss which predicted more expansion this year after it saw sales growth pick up at the end of 2018.