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Mid-Europe: Weak activity weighs on French stocks, while technology leads losses in U.S. indexes

The focus of caution shifted to weak European activity, while the Nasdaq's decline and rising volatility reflect greater pressure on U.S. technology stocks. Economic activity signals became the focus of European pressure after attention earlier in the morning centered on British consumer confidence. The euro-area composite index fell to 51.9, below expectations, and its French counterpart declined to 48.4 as activity returned to contraction, alongside a -2.00% drop in the CAC. This concurrence reinforces the negative reading for French stocks amid concerns about demand and earnings, but it does not prove that activity data alone explain the decline. By contrast, improving British activity makes the growth weakness uneven across Europe. The current index board shows that pressure on U.S. stocks is more concentrated in technology: the Nasdaq Composite is down -2.60% versus a -1.21% decline in the S&P, while the Dow Jones remains near stability. This coincides with a +4.36% rise in the volatility index, reflecting greater caution toward risk. Meta's search for free cash flow adds a perspective on the sensitivity of AI financing, without treating it as a proven cause of the index's move during the session.