PARIS: The main French CAC 40 stock index fell 0.74 percent in early trading on Friday, sliding below the level of 3,000 points.
Traders said that there was heavy selling pressure on concern that the effects of the eurozone debt crisis are spreading.
The CAC 40 index shed 23.17 points to 2,987.12 points.
On Thursday the index fell by 1.78 percent, as tension on the eurozone bond market rose.
There is concern in particular that a worsening of conditions for debt bonds issued by countries such as Spain, Italy and even France could severely weaken the balance sheets of banks holding large quantities of these bonds.
That in turn could cause banks to reduce risks in their balance sheets by reducing lending in general.
The potential risks from the eurozone crisis have undermined stock markets around the world.
Analysts at IG Market also noted that conditions on the interbank market, where banks lend to each other, were worsening, raising a risk of severe stress on stock markets.
Traders said there was concern that Spain and Italy might need to ask for international support to be able to borrow on the markets, and held that only action by the European Central Bank could contain the pressures.
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