European shares fall as global AI rout gathers pace

European stock markets experienced a sharp decline on Friday as a global market downturn intensified, exacerbating investor concerns over the impact of artificial intelligence on the economy following a shift in U.S. political power. The pan-European STOXX 600 index plummeted 1.6% to 644.72 points by 8:10 AM GMT, mirroring significant downward trends in major regional indexes across the globe. This decline not only erased the week's gains but also resulted in a cumulative loss of approximately 0.2%.

The STOXX 600 index, while less affected than its Asian and U.S. counterparts due to its relatively lower exposure to AI-related equities, still suffered broad-based declines across sectors such as media, healthcare, and retail, which all plummeted more than 2% each. The apprehension surrounding potential regulatory constraints on AI data centers in a Democrat-controlled Congress, coupled with apprehensions over overvalued stocks and excessive reliance on debt for investment, further compounded market unease.

The tech sector bore the brunt of the downturn, with companies like Siltronic falling 2% and ASMI receding 1.3%. Additionally, AI equipment providers like Schneider Electric and Siemens Energy experienced minimal downturns. On the earnings front, Teleperformance suffered a substantial 18% drop following the announcement of a revised full-year revenue growth outlook, a move precipitated by weaker-than-expected performance in its trust and safety division, which failed to offset gains from its AI-driven and back-office services.