Paris equities ended Monday's session in the red, with selling concentrated in several sectors despite pockets of strength among individual large-cap stocks. At the main close, the CAC 40 lost 0.15% while the broader SBF 120 slipped 0.17%.
On the CAC 40, the session's leading advancer was Societe Generale SA (EPA:SOGN), which climbed 2.29% - an increase of 1.60 points - to finish at 71.42. TotalEnergies SE (EPA:TTEF) also posted gains, adding 1.59% or 0.92 points to close at 58.90, and Orange SA (EPA:ORAN) rose 1.57% or 0.24 points to end the day at 15.22.
At the other end of the index, EssilorLuxottica SA (EPA:ESLX) was the weakest performer on the CAC 40, falling 2.94% or 7.80 points to close at 257.30. STMicroelectronics NV (EPA:STMPA) decreased 2.64% or 0.65 points to 24.00, while Danone SA (EPA:DANO) declined 2.28% or 1.54 points to 66.00.
The SBF 120 showed more pronounced moves among its constituents. Nexity (EPA:NEXI) led gains with an 18.35% jump to 9.77. Fnac Darty SA (EPA:FNAC) advanced 17.02% to settle at 35.40, and Ubisoft Entertainment (EPA:UBIP) rose 9.63% to close at 4.45.
On the downside within the SBF 120, Teleperformance SE (EPA:TEPRF) dropped 7.73% to 54.20 in late trading. Valneva (EPA:VLS) lost 4.63% to end at 3.92, and Vusiongroup SA (EPA:VU) fell 3.11% to 133.90 at the close.
Market breadth favored decliners on the Paris exchange: 263 stocks fell versus 213 that advanced, while 89 were unchanged.
Several index components recorded notable directional extremes during the session. Societe Generale and Orange shares moved to 5-year highs, with Societe Generale up 2.29% to 71.42 and Orange up 1.57% to 15.22. Teleperformance shares fell to a 5-year low after losing 7.73% to 54.20. Fnac Darty reached a 52-week high, rising 17.02% or 5.15 points to 35.40.
Implied volatility for the benchmark index rose: the CAC 40 VIX was unchanged in percentage terms at 18.96, which represented a new 52-week high for the gauge.
Commodities and currency moves accompanied the equity session. Gold futures for April delivery increased 2.31%, a gain of 116.01, to trade at 5,133.01 per troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for March delivery fell 0.47% or 0.29 to $60.78 a barrel, while the April Brent contract decreased 0.32% or 0.21 to $64.86 a barrel.
Currency pairs also moved: the euro strengthened versus the dollar, with EUR/USD up 0.49% to 1.19. EUR/GBP was essentially unchanged, up 0.12% to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures declined 0.65% to 96.77.
Market takeaway
Monday's close left the main French indices modestly lower, with sector-level weakness in Consumer Services, Healthcare and Industrials. Despite the overall decline, several individual stocks posted material gains or losses, contributing to a mixed picture across large and mid-cap names.