Paris (AFP)
European markets ended in dispersed order on Friday, at the conclusion of a week monopolized by economic uncertainties related to the second wave of Covid-19 and the imminent American election.
The EuroStoxx 50, made up of the largest European stocks, ended up almost in equilibrium (-0.06%) on Friday's session but lost 7.52% on the week, its biggest fall since March.
However, Europe resisted better than the US markets, where the Nasdaq index fell by more than 3% on Friday after the European close.
"The week has been brutal for the equity markets", frightened by the new shutdown of certain areas of economic activity in response to the second wave of the pandemic, summarizes David Madden, analyst for CMC Markets.
"Now, investors are preparing for the shock of stricter health measures while US elected officials have not found a compromise on a plan to support the economy," observed Mr. Madden.
Several positive statistics in the United States and the euro zone were not enough to restore balm to the heart of the market, four days before the American election.
In the United States, the confidence of American consumers reached in October its highest level since the start of the pandemic.
As for household income and expenditure, they increased more than expected in September.
The European economy has rebounded stronger than expected during the summer, after the historic recession of spring.
But the new health restrictions in many euro area countries, even if they are less brutal than in March, pose a risk of braking.
"A relapse in GDP in the fourth quarter in Europe is now inevitable after surprisingly resilient statistics in the third quarter," warns Emmanuel Auboyneau, managing partner at Amplegest.
APPLE LEADED TECHNOLOGY
Apple's publication, which saw its turnover decline by nearly 30% year-on-year in China, has cast a chill on the technology sector in Europe: STMicroelectronics has lost 1.47%;
Worldline dropped 2.36%;
in Frankfurt, Dialog sold 1.15%.
© 2020 AFP