The Paris Stock Exchange is trading in the red on Friday, with caution prevailing in the markets in the face of geopolitical uncertainties in the Middle East, amid numerous corporate results.
Around 10:45 am Paris time, the main index of the Paris Stock Exchange was down 1.12%, a loss of 92.03 points, to stand at 8,135.29. On Thursday, the CAC 40 index had gained 0.87% to 8,227.32 points.
“There has been no real progress towards the end of the conflict between the United States and Iran, even though the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has been extended for three weeks,” commented Neil Wilson from Saxo Markets.
As a result, “stocks are generally down on the markets, risk appetite is diminishing, and oil prices are rising, as well as the US dollar, a safe haven, which has been steadily increasing throughout the week,” he summarized.
Regarding macroeconomic data, the activity of the private sector in France experienced its steepest decline in 14 months, indicating a “acceleration of contraction” in the second largest economy in the Eurozone, according to the PMI Flash index published by S&P Global on Thursday.
French household confidence recorded a sharp deterioration in April, its biggest drop since March 2022 and the beginning of the war in Ukraine, as reported by the National Institute of Statistics on Friday.
Investors are also analyzing a new wave of corporate results.
The French household appliance group Seb (Moulinex, Tefal, Rowenta), engaged in a large cost-saving plan, reported an operating income of 42% to 72 million euros. Seb’s share price rose by 6.69% to 48.78 euros around 10:45 am Paris time.
Equipment suppliers in the red
Forvia (-4.45% at 10.09 euros) reported a 6.4% decrease in its first quarter 2026 turnover, amounting to 5.13 billion euros, considering the sales increase in Europe as “encouraging.”
Valeo (-3.62% at 10.79 euros) also saw a 3.6% decrease in first-quarter revenue, totaling 5.1 billion euros, mainly affected by the strength of the euro, but confirmed its financial objectives for the year 2026.
Euronext CAC40
