BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks succumbed to heavy selling pressure on Thursday amid fears the China-U.S. trade conflict was fast turning into a technology-focused cold war.
British chip designer ARM joined the growing list of global companies to disengage with Huawei, raising concerns a protracted trade war could derail global economic growth.
Politics also remained in focus as the European Parliament elections kicked off in polls that could challenge the Brussels consensus.
The benchmark CAC 40 index was down 81 points or 1.51 percent at 5,297 after closing 0.1 percent lower in the previous session.
Automakers Renault and Peugeot fell more than 1 percent each on tariff worries. Banks BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole and Societe Generale fell between 1.6 percent and 2.5 percent.
In economic releases, the euro area private sector expanded in May but the pace of growth remained subdued, survey data from IHS Markit showed.
The composite output index rose marginally to 51.6 from 51.5 in April. The score was forecast to rise to 51.
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