The Amsterdam stock exchange opened down a sharp 2.8% at 231.26 points on Thursday in line with the depressed sentiment on markets in New York, Asia and across Europe.

The Dutch MidKap index opened down 4.4%.
‘Shares are being sold at levels we did not think were possible… there is enormous uncertainty, said Sijmen Plomp, an investment advisor for De Vries & Co in the Telegraaf. ‘Where ever you go, everyone is talking about the credit crisis. I have never known anything like it.’
The share price of supermarket concern Ahold (Albert Heijn) was the only one to rise on the Amsterdam exchange, following the publication of better than expected Q3 earnings.
Click here for our story on the Ahold results