European markets slide as AI investment fears hit global stocks

European stock markets fell sharply on Friday, with London and Frankfurt dropping 2% and Paris losing 1.6%, following a slide on Wall Street. Milan fell over 1%, with Nexi down 3.9% and Saipem down about 3%. Asian markets also plunged, with Seoul down 6% and Tokyo down 5.9%. The Nikkei closed below 60,000 points for the first time in about five and a half months, falling 5.96% to 57,434.77. The sell-off was driven by fears that US election results could slow investments in AI data centers. Chinese markets were also negative, with Shenzhen down 2.2% and Shanghai down 1.1%. The euro weakened 0.4% against the dollar to 1.117, while the yen strengthened to 157.80 against the dollar. US futures remained uncertain.