Issued on: 06/11/2026 - 10:37Modified: 06/11/2026 - 10:53
The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, November 5, 2026. © ReutersEuropean shares tumbled on Friday as global investors grappled with uncertainty over AI stocks, following the Democrats’ sweeping victory in the US midterm elections. The drop is partly due to fears that Democrats could curb the development of AI data centres, which are widely unpopular among US voters. Follow our liveblog for all the latest updates.
Races in Alaska, Mississippi to determine strength of Democratic majority
Democrats could still add Senate seats, as Alaska and Mississippi are undecided.
Trump blames Democrats winning midterms for US stocks fall
US President Donald Trump attributed Thursday's stock market freefall to the electoral victory of his rival Democratic Party in midterm elections earlier this week.
"The Stock Market crashed today because the Dumocrats had a big Tuesday - So sad to see, you only have yourselves to blame!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform after US markets closed for the day.
Analysts attributed Thursday's stock selloff to fears of Democrats threatening the AI data centre investment boom, with the tech-focused Nasdaq suffering its worst session percentage-wise since April 2025.
🎥 'Like a cancer': How data centres became a key issue at midterms
Data centre regulation itself was not on most midterm ballots, and it wasn't among the top issues for most voters. But hardline stances against the server warehouses were woven into the platforms of many candidates, including the Democrats who upended longtime Republican control of the governorships in Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Nevada and Iowa --many of which are data centre hotspots.
European shares set to fall as global AI rout gathers pace
European shares were set to open lower on Friday amid a global market rout, capping a painful week as investors grappled with uncertainty over AI stocks after Democrats took control of US Congress.
Futures tied to the EURO STOXX 50 Index were down 1 percent at 6:52 GMT, with contracts tracking benchmarks in Germany and the UK down 0.8 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively.
Fears that a Democrat-led Congress could seek curbs on AI data-centre spending added to concerns over weak returns, lofty valuations and debt-fueled investment.
Hello and welcome to our liveblog where we bring you the latest as the final US midterm votes are counted.
European shares fell on Friday, with losses across the board as a global market rout gathered steam, capping a painful week as investors grappled with uncertainty over AI stocks after Democrats took control of the US Congress.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index dropped 1 percent to 648.83 points by 09:19 GMT, with benchmarks in most major regional markets trading lower. Friday's losses wiped out STOXX's gains for the week, and it was down about 0.3 percent.
Fears that a Democrat-led Congress could seek curbs on AI data-centre spending added to concerns over weak returns, lofty valuations and debt-fueled investment.
"The AI build out is responsible for quite a chunk of US growth, not just in terms of the construction, the manufacturing, the components needed, but also the fact that valuations have shot so high that it's actually added to wealth perceptions of Americans," said Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at Wealth Club.
"If you start to see stock portfolios hit, that is going to act as a real drag on consumer sentiment," Streeter said, adding that she expects market volatility to persist till at least January when there could be more clarity on the Democrats' approach to AI policy.
Tech stocks struggled to make a comeback after dropping earlier on Friday.