European stock markets fall as fear of trade war escalates

Feb. 3 (UPI) — European stock markets tumbled Monday on the back of sharp falls on Asian bourses overnight as fears of a global trade war escalated after the European Union said it would respond in kind if the United States imposed tariffs on the 27-member-country bloc.

In mid-morning trade, Germany’s main Xetra DAX index was down 1.84%, France’s CAC 40 by 1.85% and the wider Stoxx 50, the eurozone’s blue-chip index, was off by 1.87%.