Brussels, February 02 (QNA) - European shares opened lower on Monday, influenced by the continued sharp decline in precious metals prices, at a time when caution increased among investors following US President Donald Trump's announcement of the appointment of Kevin Warsh as head of the US Federal Reserve.

At the start of the session, the French CAC 40 index fell 0.42 percent, the German DAX declined about 0.38 percent, the British FTSE 100 dropped 0.47 percent, and the Milan index recorded losses of 0.53 percent. 

This decline comes amid concerns of a potential tightening in US monetary policy, which put strong pressure on commodity markets, particularly gold and silver, and negatively affected risk appetite in European markets. (QNA)