Major stock market indexes in Europe closed lower on Tuesday after the report on the business activity in the Eurozone showed the increased possibility of the area entering a recession in the third quarter of the year. Meanwhile, the movement in the United Kingdom's private sector decelerated further, nearing stagnation. Additionally, the update on consumer confidence in the euro area stressed that the figure remained below the historic low it saw when the COVID-19 pandemic started.
The DAX closed 0.34% lower as Sartorius AG fell by 3.15%. The FTSE 100 declined by 0.71%, with Smiths Group PLC nosediving by 4.24%. The CAC 40 decreased by 0.42% as Dassault Systemes SE dropped by 2.49%.
The euro gained 0.47% to the dollar at 5:29 pm CET to sell for $0.99907. At the same time, the pound sterling rose by 0.74% against the greenback to change hands for $1.18553.