The prospect of a change in the balance of power in France has investors on edge, with banks, highway operators and utilities among the stocks with most on the line.

Weighed down by potential risks around tax hikes, higher borrowing costs and possibly even nationalisations, those sectors have been at the forefront of a $US240 billion ($361 billion) rout in the Paris bourse since President Emmanuel Macron called a snap parliamentary vote on June 9. A UBS Group AG index tracking stocks exposed to election risks has slumped 9 per cent in that time.

Bloomberg