European Stock Markets Decline Amid Trade War Fears and Anticipation of Central Bank Rate Cuts; Euro Weakens Against Dollar

European stock markets experienced a downturn today, influenced by ongoing concerns about potential trade wars following Donald Trump's tariff announcements. Investors are also closely monitoring global economic growth, particularly the risk of a slowdown in the United States. The Euro Stoxx 600 index fell by 0.7%. Frankfurt declined by 1%, while Paris decreased by 0.7%, London by 0.5%, and Madrid by 0.4%. The technology sector led the decline, falling by 1%. Banking and insurance sectors also underperformed, dropping by 1.4% and 0.6% respectively, amid expectations of interest rate cuts by central banks. The euro weakened to 1.0830 against the dollar. The spread between Italian BTP and German Bund stands at 112 points. The yield on the Italian ten-year bond decreased to 3.87%, and the German yield to 2.74%.