AI Anxiety, French Tensions Pressure European Bourses Midday

07:48 AM EDT, 10/30/2026 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked modestly lower midday Friday after US tech giants Amazon.com (AMZN) and Intel (INTC) overnight reported heavy capital outlays but tempered revenue, followed by official reports from Paris of a slumping French economy. The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was off 0.2% mid-session. France's consumer price index in October is expected to rise 3.4% on year, while the nation's Q3 real gross domestic product contracted by 0.1% on quarter and on year, reported Insee, the nation's statistical office. Food stocks led spotty gains on continental trading floors, while tech and bank shares lagged in midday action. Investors also eyed Wall Street futures flashing red, and lower closes overnight on Asian exchanges. In economic news, the seasonally adjusted Q3 Eurozone gross domestic product grew by 0.4% on quarter, while the broader European Union's economy expanded by 0.5%, Eurostat reported. On the year, GDP rose by 1.3% in the Eurozone and by 1.5% in the EU. In the sectors, the Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was down 2.2%, and the Stoxx 600 Banks Index lost 1.2%. The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index eased 0.2%, but the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index inclined 2.2%. The REITE, a European REIT index, lost 0.2%. On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was down 0.5%, and the FTSE 100 in London gained 0.3%. The CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.1%, but Spain's IBEX 35 eased 0.5%. Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were lower, near 3.32%. Brent crude-oil futures were up 2.3% to $113.39 a barrel. The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was up 7.2% to 21.89, indicating above-average volatility for European stock markets in the next 30 days, a negative signal. A reading above 20 indicates choppier markets ahead, while below 20 suggests calmer exchanges.