The Dow Jones has opened 110 points down, almost a 1% fall, as the poor German growth figures continued to cause market concern.
The S&P 500 was 1.1% down, meanwhile.
German economic growth, at 0.1% in the last quarter, was below expectations of 0.5%.
The FTSE 100 is 46 points down at 2:55, a 0.9% fall.
The DAX is 1.1% down, while the French CAC 40 is 0.5% down.
US industrial output in July rose 0.9%, ahead of estimates of 0.5%. Motor vehicle assembly was particularly strong after rebounding from the impact of Japanese earthquake disruptions.
