European stock futures drop in early trade

LONDON (Reuters) - European stock index futures fell at the start of trade on Friday, echoing a rout in global equities as evidence mounted that the fall-out from the subprime market was spreading beyond the United States.

By 0608 GMT September DAX futures were down 1.3 percent at 7,394.0, while CAC 40 futures were down 1.9 percent at 5,545.0, although volumes were modest.

U.S. stocks sank on Thursday, with the Dow and S&P down nearly 3 percent, after French bank BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) froze three funds that invested in U.S. subprime mortgages, prompting central banks to pump extra liquidity into the money markets as overnight lending rates shot up.

Asian shares also dropped overnight, with the Nikkei losing more than 2 percent.

(Additional reporting by Blaise Robinson in Paris)