European stocks fell on Tuesday as political unrest in France made investors cautious. The STOXX 600 index slid 0.27% following a 0.8% drop in the previous session. While markets struggled with protests and debt, French cloud provider OVHcloud saw shares jump 8.5% after reporting its first positive free cash flow.
Political turmoil in France has cast a shadow over European markets, leading investors to adopt a more cautious stance. The STOXX 600 index slid by 0.27% following a prior drop of 0.8%. Widespread protests have intensified economic strife alongside mounting government debt. Amidst this unrest, OVHcloud, a French cloud services provider, reported robust revenue growth and its first positive levered free cash flow.
European shares extended losses on Tuesday as investors weighed the impact of political instability in France, which has dampened risk appetite across regional markets.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 0.27% at 637.84 points by 0709 GMT, after slipping 0.8% in the previous session. France's benchmark CAC 40 index edged 0.2% lower.
As on 20 Oct 2026, 01:30 AM IST
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Late on Monday, French authorities set curfews in parts of several cities including Paris, Lille and Nice a weekend of riots and looting stemming from nationwide anti-government protests.
The protests have intensified pressure on the euro zone's second-largest economy, which is grappling with soft economic growth and ballooning government debt. The unrest also underscores the challenges the government faces in reducing its large deficit.
Elsewhere, investors assessed a raft of corporate earnings reports.
French cloud operator OVHcloud jumped 8.5% after reporting its first positive levered free cash flow since its 2021 listing, as its revenue grew 7.2% to €1.15 billion ($1.29 billion) in the financial year through August.
Shares of Barco dropped 12.9% after the visualisation technology company forecast full-year sales to come in slightly below last year's levels, with an EBITDA margin of about 11%.