German share prices tumbled more than 3.0 percent at the start of trade on Monday, the first day of business in 2016, with investor sentiment weighed down by losses in Asian stock markets earlier.

The blue-chip DAX 30 stock index opened 2.39 percent lower at 10,485.81 points, but subsequently tumbled 3.5 percent to an intraday low of 10,371.62 points.