Investors in main European exchanges remain jittery over the globe growth after poor economic data in the European block and the United States sent low stocks on Thursday.

Paris stock index CAC40 closed in red and plunged 5.48 percent to 3,076 points.

The heavyweight banking sector was the session's weak performer after falling by 8.4 percent. French second biggest Societe Generale tumbled by 12.34 percent, while Credit Agricole and BNP Paribas fell by 7.29 percent and 6.76 percent respectively.

In the european scale, the sector lost 6 percent.

In neighbor European countries, markets continued to worry that eurozone leaders are unable to tackle the region's sovereign debt crisis. London shares slid by 4.49 percent. In Frankfurt, stocks shrunk by 5.82 percent while Milan reported a 6.15-percent drop.

The European index, the EuroStoxx plunged by 5.34 percent at close, its worst loss since 2009.

"Forecasts pointed to a recession in the world's largest economy and in the eurozone which already is struggling to ease fears over the debt crisis. This negative trend is expecting to continue in a way to badly affect investors's sentiment," said Jean-Louis Mouirier, an analyst at BGC Aurtel.

"Concretely, there is no a miracle solution. Markets wait for positive indicators encouraging them to invest again," he told Xinhua.

On Tuesday, volatile markets were hit by poor growth data in Germany, Europe's powerhouse which reported 0.1 percent GDP growth in the second quarter and revised down the first quarter growth rate to 1.3 percent from 1.5 percent.

Days before, France, the European second largest economy, saw zero gross domestic product growth in the second quarter of 2011 after rising by 0.9 percent a quarter earlier.

Citing a source close to the Elysee, Les Echos, a local business newspaper, said French officials are likely to revise down the country's growth forecast in 2012 initially set at 2.25 percent on the back of sluggish economic performance and eurozone debt crisis.

"Since one month investors are following news on U.S. debt, eurozone debt and economic growth and all these news were negative ... and which prompted an immediate and strong negative reaction in Europe and in the United States," Phillipe Desertine, manager of Haute Finances Institute, told BFM TV.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet