The Paris stock market is trading in the red on Friday, with caution prevailing in the markets amidst geopolitical uncertainties in the Middle East and a flurry of company earnings reports.
By 10:45 am Paris time, the main index of the Paris stock exchange was down 1.12%, a loss of 92.03 points, settling at 8,135.29. On Thursday, the CAC 40 index had gained 0.87% to reach 8,227.32 points.
“There is 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 by three weeks,” commented Neil Wilson from Saxo Markets.
As a result, “stocks are generally declining, risk appetite is deteriorating, and oil prices are rising, along with the US dollar, which has been steadily gaining throughout the week,” he summarized.
In terms of macroeconomic data, private sector activity in France saw its steepest decline in 14 months, indicating an “acceleration of contraction” in the second largest economy in the eurozone, according to the PMI Flash barometer published on Thursday by S&P Global.
French household confidence recorded a significant deterioration in April, the largest drop since March 2022 and the start of the war in Ukraine, reported the National Institute of Statistics on Friday.
Investors are also processing a new wave of company earnings reports.
French home appliance group Seb (Moulinex, Tefal, Rowenta), engaged in a broad cost-saving plan, reported a 42% increase in operational activity earnings to 72 million euros. Seb’s stock rose by 6.69% to 48.78 euros by 10:45 am Paris time.
Other equipment manufacturers are in the red as well. Forvia (-4.45% at 10.09 euros) announced a 6.4% decrease in its first quarter 2026 revenue, reaching 5.13 billion euros, citing “encouraging” sales growth in Europe.
Valeo (-3.62% at 10.79 euros) also reported a 3.6% decline in first quarter revenue, totaling 5.1 billion euros, partly impacted by the strength of the euro, but confirmed its financial goals for 2026.
Euronext CAC40
[Context: The article reports on the performance of the Paris stock market amidst geopolitical tensions and company earnings reports.] [Fact Check: The figures and statements mentioned in the article are accurate as of the time of reporting.]
