UK News PostA protester holds a placard reading "A budget for everyone, not for the CAC 40" as she takes part in a demonstration by French high school and university students in front of the City Hall in Paris as part of a nationwide protest movement led by students, supported by teachers, school parents and labour unions, demanding better school conditions and concrete measures, France, October 13, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor Abdul Saboor Reuters Oct 19 (Reuters) - French equities led losses in Europe on Monday after one of the worst bouts of protest violence in years over the weekend, while broader sentiment was subdued ahead of a busy week of earnings. The blue-chip CAC 40 index slid 1.02% after nationwide protests, triggered by rising prices and worsening public services, rocked the euro zone's second-largest economy as it grapples with weak growth and rising debt.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 0.39% to 642.24 points by 0708 GMT after climbing more than 2% the previous week. Banks fell the most, down 1.4%, with the bank-heavy Spanish benchmark down 0.9%. Investors were also eyeing earnings from European and US corporate giants to help risk appetite after AI-linked stocks sold off last week on concerns over rising debt to fund infrastructure.
Among individual movers, Norway's Mowi gained 4.1% after the salmon producer's third quarter harvest volumes hit an all-time high. (Reporting by Avinash P in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala) A placard supporting Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the French far-left opposition party La France Insoumise (France Unbowed - LFI) and a candidate for the 2027 French presidential election, lies among debris a day after clashes during a national day of demonstrations against the cost of living and rising fuel prices in Paris, France, October 18, 2026. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier Benoit Tessier Reuters Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. This story was originally published October 19, 2026 at 3:23 AM .
Source: The State
