European Stock Indexes Fall as Equity Selloff Deepens Across the Continent

what happened

European stock indexes opened sharply lower, extending a selloff that started in the U.S. on Thursday and gained pace in Asia overnight. The Stoxx 600 is down 1.4%, and every sector is falling.

In London, the FTSE 100 is 1.5% lower, with miners and healthcare stocks leading the drop and AstraZeneca down 2.6%. Germany's DAX has slipped 1.4%, with all but one stock in the index declining. Adidas is off 2.6%, carmakers are weak, and Bayer has edged 2.4% lower.

In Paris, the CAC 40 is down 1.25%. Euronext is the only gainer in the index, while luxury stocks sold off, with LVMH losing 1.6%. Italy's FTSE MIB fell 1.1%, Spain's IBEX 35 dropped 0.8%, and the Dutch AEX is 1.2% lower. Semiconductor shares are also falling, though losses are smaller than in the past two sessions, according to Market Talk.

why it matters

A synchronized decline across all major European markets points to a broad selloff rather than trouble at individual companies. The pressure came from U.S. and Asian markets, so investors will be watching whether weakness in the semiconductor sector, a key market driver, persists.

market impact

European equities: a broad selloff weighs on the Stoxx 600, DAX and FTSE 100

• ▼European equities (Stoxx 600) pressure down — selling from the U.S. and Asia is spreading to European exchanges
• ▼Semiconductor stocks pressure down — still falling, though losses are smaller than the previous session

instruments