Paris-listed shares closed higher on Friday, supported by advances in the Technology, Healthcare and Financials sectors.
At the close in Paris, the CAC 40 increased 0.68%, while the SBF 120 added 0.63%.
On the CAC 40, the session's top performers included Eurofins Scientific SE (EPA:EUFI), which rose 2.93% or 1.94 points to finish at 68.14. Societe Generale SA (EPA:SOGN) gained 2.79% or 2.00 points to end the day at 73.80, and Sanofi SA (EPA:SASY) advanced 2.75% or 2.12 points to close at 79.20.
Among the laggards on the benchmark, Legrand SA (EPA:LEGD) slipped 0.66% or 0.90 points to 135.00 at the close. Carrefour SA (EPA:CARR) declined 0.50% or 0.07 points to finish at 13.84 and Euronext (EPA:ENX) eased 0.42% or 0.50 points to 117.90.
The SBF 120's largest gains were recorded by Alten SA (EPA:LTEN), which jumped 16.75% to 82.60. SEB SA (EPA:SEBF) rose 5.59% to settle at 47.64 and Sopra Steria Group SA (EPA:SOPR) gained 5.18% to close at 154.20.
At the lower end of the SBF 120, Ubisoft Entertainment (EPA:UBIP) fell 7.14% to 4.37 in late trade, Nexity (EPA:NEXI) lost 4.60% to finish at 9.55 and Eramet SA (EPA:ERMT) declined 3.15% to close at 73.80.
Market breadth on the Paris exchange was mixed: falling stocks outnumbered advancers by 247 to 235, while 87 issues ended unchanged.
Société Générale's share price climbed to a five-year high, gaining 2.79% or 2.00 points to reach 73.80.
The CAC 40 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of CAC 40 options, was unchanged at 0.00% and stood at 18.96, a new 52-week high.
Commodity and currency moves accompanied the equity session. Gold Futures for April delivery was down 6.68% or 357.51 to $4,997.29 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for March delivery rose 0.40% or 0.26 to $65.68 a barrel, and the April Brent contract climbed 0.32% or 0.22 to $69.81 a barrel.
In currency markets, EUR/USD was down 0.71% to 1.19, while EUR/GBP was unchanged 0.12% to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.60% at 96.71.
Summary of session highlights
- CAC 40 closed up 0.68%; SBF 120 rose 0.63%.
- Top CAC 40 gainers: Eurofins Scientific (EPA:EUFI), Societe Generale (EPA:SOGN), Sanofi (EPA:SASY).
- SBF 120 leaders included Alten (EPA:LTEN), SEB (EPA:SEBF), and Sopra Steria (EPA:SOPR); notable decliners included Ubisoft (EPA:UBIP) and Nexity (EPA:NEXI).
Key points
- Sector leadership came from Technology, Healthcare and Financials, which helped lift major indices in Paris.
- Market breadth was mixed, with more decliners than advancers on the Paris Stock Exchange, even as headline indices rose.
- Volatility measures and commodity moves were notable: the CAC 40 VIX reached a new 52-week high while gold fell sharply and oil moved higher.
Risks and uncertainties
- Mixed breadth - With falling stocks outnumbering advancing ones by 247 to 235, the advance in headline indices may mask underlying dispersion across individual names and sectors.
- Elevated implied volatility - The CAC 40 VIX sat at 18.96, a 52-week high, signalling higher option-implied volatility that can affect trading conditions for equities and derivatives.
- Commodity and currency swings - Sharp moves in Gold Futures and shifts in oil prices and major currency pairs introduce uncertainty for commodity-sensitive sectors and currency-exposed companies.
This session's data provides a snapshot of market direction and intraday dynamics but does not predict future moves. The information above reflects closing prices and market indicators reported at the end of the trading day in Paris.