BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks fell sharply on Wednesday as new polling showed far-right candidate Marine Le Pen closing the gap to incumbent President Emmanuel Macron ahead of the country's presidential election. Sunday's first round will qualify the two top candidates for the runoff.
Hawkish comments from Fed Governor Lael Brainard and uncertainty surrounding the likely imposition of new Western sanctions against Russia also kept investors nervous.
Brainard, who is awaiting Senate confirmation to serve as the Fed's vice chairwoman, indicated an aggressive approach to shrinking the Fed's balance sheet.
The U.S. and its European allies are proposing further sanctions against Russia following the discovery of dead civilians on the outskirts of Kyiv.
The benchmark CAC 40 was down 90 points, or 1.4 percent, at 6,554 after tumbling 1.3 percent in the previous session.
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