BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks fell sharply on Tuesday as dismal first-quarter earnings reports as well as a historic plunge in oil prices overnight added to the gloom.
Meanwhile, France on Monday officially registered more than 20,000 deaths from coronavirus infections, becoming the fourth country to go beyond that threshold after Italy, Spain and the United States.
Confirmed cases of Covid-19 are now over 2.4 million worldwide, while more than 170,000 people have died, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University.
The benchmark CAC 40 was down 80 points, or 1.78 percent, at 4,447 after gaining 0.7 percent in the previous session.
Food company Danone shed 2.6 percent. The company reported a marginal rise in first-quarter consolidated sales, but withdrew fiscal 2020 guidance due to the lack of visibility related to Covid-19 pandemic.
Automaker Peugeot was moving down 0.7 percent. PSA Group posted a double-digit decline in sales for the first quarter and forecast the European car market will shrink by a quarter this year.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX