BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks fell notably on Friday as U.S.-China trade worries resurfaced and Italian bonds sank amid heightened political uncertainty after Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the right-wing League party called for fresh general elections.
The benchmark DAX was down 66 points or 0.55 percent at 11,780 after climbing 1.7 percent in the previous session.
Lender Commerzbank fell nearly 2 percent and Deutsche Bank slid about half a percent as Italian bond yields surged amid political instability in the country.
Freenet Group declined 2 percent after the company lost 27,500 postpaid mobile customers in the second quarter.
Energy utility Innogy gave up 1 percent after reporting a fall in first half profit.
IT systems provider Bechtle tumbled 3.3 percent after unveiling its second-quarter results.
In economic releases, Germany's exports dropped marginally in June, while imports increased for the first time in three months, data from Destatis showed.
Exports fell by a seasonally adjusted 0.1 percent month-on-month in June, reversing a 1.3 percent rise in May. The rate came in line with expectations.
Meanwhile, imports climbed 0.5 percent, as expected, but in contrast to May's 0.3 percent decline.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2019 AFX News
