Paris equities closed the week on a positive note, with the benchmark CAC 40 rising 0.28% to register a new three-month high, while the broader SBF 120 advanced 0.20% at the bell.
Sector leadership came from Oil & Gas, Utilities and Healthcare, which collectively contributed to the upward momentum in late trade. The session's most sizable gains on the CAC 40 were recorded by Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA (EPA:SGOB), which climbed 6.89% - an increase of 5.24 points - to finish at 81.28. Euronext (EPA:ENX) also posted a strong move, adding 6.16% or 9.20 points to close at 158.60. Engie SA (EPA:ENGIE) rose 3.99%, up 1.04 points to 27.11.
Not all large caps participated in the advance. Veolia Environnement VE SA (EPA:VIE) was among the laggards, slipping 3.72% or 1.33 points to close at 34.47. Orange SA (EPA:ORAN) declined 2.96% with a 0.51-point drop to 16.57, and Accor SA (EPA:ACCP) fell 2.92%, down 1.35 points to end at 44.90.
On the SBF 120, a handful of stocks registered outsized moves. Worldline SA (EPA:WLN) led the gainers with a 22.25% surge to 12.19. Viridien SA (EPA:VIRI) rose 15.98% to settle at 92.90, and Teleperformance SE (EPA:TEPRF) climbed 13.15% to close at 69.00. Conversely, Vivendi SA (EPA:VIV) plunged 19.48% to 1.60, Ipsos (EPA:ISOS) lost 14.21% to finish at 35.74, and Forvia (EPA:FRVIA) fell 7.04% to 8.88 at the close.
The Paris exchange saw more decliners than advancers on the session: 257 stocks fell versus 194 that rose, while 93 ended unchanged.
Market breadth was mixed alongside volatility signals. The CAC 40 VIX, which gauges implied volatility for CAC 40 options, was unchanged at 18.96, marking a new 52-week high.
Commodity and currency markets showed varied moves. Gold futures for August delivery were down 1.51% - a decline of 62.10 - to $4,038.00 a troy ounce. In crude markets, September delivery for U.S. crude rose 0.87% or 0.73 to $84.32 a barrel, while the October Brent contract increased 0.56% or 0.49 to trade at $87.37 a barrel.
Foreign-exchange rates were largely stable: EUR/USD was largely unchanged, moving 0.11% to 1.15, and EUR/GBP was effectively flat, changing 0.09% to 0.86. The US Dollar Index Futures rose 0.21% to 99.93.
Notable intra-session extremes:
- Euronext shares rose to all-time highs, closing at 158.60 after a 6.16% gain.
- Vivendi shares fell to all-time lows, closing at 1.60 after a 19.48% drop.