European stocks were hit badly after US President Donald Trump threatened to slap auto tariffs on EU-built cars if a long-delayed trade deal failed to come through.
London, Frankfurt and Paris stocks were down in afternoon trading after Trump said he would order a 25 percent levy on European cars if the EU did not agree to a trade deal.
Analysts at Charles Schwab brokerage said the region "appears to be a bit cautious... turning its sights on the possibility of a showdown between Europe and the US".
Shares in carmakers Volkswagen slid by one percent and Daimler lost 1.2 percent, with Mercedes-maker Daimler also warning that its 2019 earnings could fall short of expectations due to massive new charges over diesel emissions cheating.
Before Trump launched his latest trade threats, Frankfurt's benchmark DAX 30 index had shot to a record high at 13,640.06 points, with dealers hailing the recent China-US trade deal.
"German companies are among the most exposed to global trade worries, and therefore those enjoying the biggest bounce since US-China relations improved at the back end of last year, resulting in this month's trade deal," markets.com analyst Neil Wilson said.
Meanwhile, Asian markets bounced back on bargain-buying following sharp losses on Tuesday that were triggered by fears over the spread of the deadly coronavirus, and US markets also rebounded at the start of trading.
"Fears of the spreading coronavirus appear to be easing a bit after China said it is taking steps to contain the virus," the Schwab analysts said.
Global equities have been roiled this week by fears that the Chinese virus outbreak which has killed nine and sickened hundreds, could cause as much economic damage as the SARS epidemic that left hundreds dead in 2003.
Tourism-linked firms hit by concerns about the impact on the global economy just as it shows signs of emerging from a long-running slowdown, also went into reverse.
The World Health Organization was meeting Wednesday to determine whether to declare a global public health emergency over the disease, which has also been detected in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States.