European shares fall, travel stocks hit by attack in France

European stock markets fell on Friday, with the shares of travel and leisure companies dropping after an attack in the French city of Nice that killed more than 80 people. [caption id=“attachment_99766” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image.
Reuters[/caption] A gunman at the wheel of a heavy truck ploughed into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice late on Thursday, killing at least 84 people and injuring scores more in what French President Francois Hollande called a terrorist act. The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.3 percent, with France’s CAC equity index down by 0.5 percent. Shares in French hotels operator Accor fell 4 percent, while shares in airlines such as Air France-KLM , easyJet and British Airways’ owner International Consolidated Airlines Group also fell by between 1.6 to 3 percent. Shares in Swiss luxury goods companies Swatch and Richemont also slumped after Swatch issued a profit warning, with Swatch shares sliding 12 percent.