European Stocks Close Lower for Third Consecutive Session

European stock indices on Tuesday closed lower for the third session in a row, affected by a decline in French stocks, with the continued state of political uncertainty following the release of the results of the early parliamentary elections. The European Stoxx 600 index ended the trading session down 0.9 percent, which is the largest daily decline in about a month. The French CAC 40 index recorded the worst performance in the region, with a decline of 1.6 percent, as investors evaluated the political situation in France after the parliamentary elections that were held last Sunday. The German DAX index also fell by 1.3%, reaching 18,236 points, and the British FTSE 100 index fell by 0.65%, closing at 8,139 points. The markets are awaiting the release of data on the US and German consumer price indices, on Thursday, along with the gross domestic product data in the United Kingdom, which will give a glimpse into global monetary policy and learn more about the performance of the largest European economies. E uropean stocks have jumped about 7 percent so far this year thanks to investor optimism that the European Central Bank (ECB) will continue to lower interest rates. Source: Qatar News Agency