French stocks turned in a mixed performance Friday morning with investors reacting to geopolitical developments, in addition to digesting regional manufacturing activity reports. Trading volumes were thin with several traders still staying on the sidelines following recent holidays.
The benchmark CAC 40 was up 9.50 points or 0.11% at 8,159.00 about a quarter before noon. Earlier, the index had advanced to 8,221.78.
STMicroElectronics rallied 3.75%. Stellantis climbed nearly 2% and Safran advanced 1.75%. Airbus, Kering, Engie, Capgemini, Orange and ArecelorMittal gained 1 to 1.5%.
Thales, TotalEnergies, Renault, Societe Generale, Carrefour, BNP Paribas, Bouygues and Unibail Rodamco moved up 0.35 to 1%.
Saint Gobain, Air Liquide, Accor, Eifage, Danone, L’Oreal, EssilorLuxottica, LVMH and Bureau Veritas lost 0.4 to 1%.
Data from S&P Global showed France’s HCOB Manufacturing PMI rose to 50.7 in December from 47.8 in November, returning to growth after three months of contraction and marking the best improvement since June 2022.
Meanwhile, the HCOB Eurozone Manufacturing PMI fell to 48.8 in December, below both the preliminary estimate of 49.2 and November’s final reading of 49.6, marking the fastest pace of contraction since March.
Market Analysis
CAC 40 Up Marginally; PMI Data In Focus
2026-01-02 10:48:01
