Europe stocks drop

European stock markets fell on Wednesday, as investors reacted to a downbeat assessment of the U.S. economy by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, and oil stocks slipped ahead of a meeting by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

FTSE 100 index dropped 0.5% to 5,836.21.
German DAX 30 index fell 0.8% to 7,049.90
French CAC 40 index lost 0.7% to 3,846.03.