European stocks extend slide as French protests dent risk appetite

European shares extended losses on Tuesday as investors weighed the impact of political instability in France, which has dampened risk appetite across regional markets.The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 0.27% at 637.84 points by 0709 GMT, after slipping 0.8% in the previous session. France's benchmark CAC 40 index edged 0.2% lower.US MarketsPowered ByAs on 20 Oct 2026, 01:30 AM ISTS&P 500 Top GainersWestern Digital352.21(6.09%)Datadog260.36(5.36%)Amazon.com262.45(4.98%)Palantir Technologies194.15(4.36%)Gainers»S&P 500 Top LosersCoterra Energy32.56(-8.62%)Mosaic17.92(-4.78%)NRG Energy99.38(-4.21%)Ameriprise Finl480.41(-4.07%)Losers»Late on Monday, French authorities set curfews in parts of several cities including Paris, Lille and Nice a weekend of riots and looting stemming from nationwide anti-government protests.The protests have intensified pressure on the euro zone's second-largest economy, which is grappling with soft economic growth and ballooning government debt.

The unrest also underscores the challenges the government faces in reducing its large deficit.Elsewhere, investors assessed a raft of corporate earnings reports.Live EventsFrench cloud operator OVHcloud jumped 8.5% after reporting its first positive levered free cash flow since its 2021 listing, as its revenue grew 7.2% to €1.15 billion ($1.29 billion) in the financial year through August.Shares of Barco dropped 12.9% after the visualisation technology company forecast full-year sales to come in slightly below last year's levels, with an EBITDA margin of about 11%.(You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)