Stocks in Europe in the red at mid-session, Renault backs down

European stocks fell Friday at mid-session as investors took their profits 

 and digested the results of companies, including those of Renault (PA: RENA ), badly welcomed.

The bad results of Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN ), released Thursday, continue to penalize the technology sector and weigh on Wall Street futures, which report a downturn of 0.14% for the Dow Jones and 0.8 % For the Nasdaq .

In Paris, the CAC 40 loses 1.07% (55.28 points) to 5.131.67 points around 11:05 GMT. In Frankfurt, the Dax yields 0.52% and in London, the FTSE is down 0.62%.

The pan-European index FTSEurofirst 300 loses 0.8%, the EuroStoxx 50 of the euro area 0.73% and the Stoxx 600 0.88%.

In Europe, the red lantern of the Stoxx 600 is for the Renault group (-5.74%). The automaker on Friday released record results in the first half, but its figures are overshadowed by a particularly negative price-mix over the period.

The European automotive sector lost the most at half-time (-1.42%).

Amazon's sharp decline in profits in the second quarter weighed on the technology compartment (-1.42%).

Second largest decline in the FTSEurofirst, Essilor dropped 3.99% after lowering its growth forecast for 2017 in light of a more difficult Latin American market than expected in the first half.

UBS loses 2.59%, the Swiss bank having been cautious about its 2017 outlook after reporting quarterly results deemed disappointing although better than expected by the consensus of analysts.

Adidas (DE: ADSGN ) gained 7.97% at a record level, driven by the announcement made the previous day by the German sports equipment supplier Its 2017 objectives.

"We are also at the end of July, a time when traders like to take profits," said Markus Huber, trader at City Of London Markets.

On the macroeconomic front, investors are waiting for a first estimate of the growth of US gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter (12:30 GMT). Economists forecast a 2.6% growth for US growth, up from 1.4% in the first quarter.

In France, the first results of INSEE show that economic growth reached 0.5% in the second quarter, brought domestic demand and a return to a positive contribution of foreign trade through exports.

In the euro area, economic sentiment rose unexpectedly in July to reach a new peak of 10 years, with optimism rising mostly in the services sector, according to the European Commission's monthly survey released on Friday.

At exchange rates, the euro rose 0.3% to $ 1.171. The US currency loses 0.15% against a basket of reference currencies.

The Swiss franc continued to fall against the euro (-0.8%) and the dollar (-0.5%) on expectations of an accommodative monetary policy by the Swiss National Bank (SNB).

Crude oil prices are up, at two-month highs.