France's main equity indexes ended the trading day in negative territory on Thursday, led by declines in Utilities, Basic Materials and Consumer Services stocks.
At the close in Paris, the CAC 40 fell 0.14%, while the SBF 120 slipped 0.08%.
Among CAC 40 constituents, Dassault Systemes SE (EPA:DAST) was the session's strongest performer, advancing 3.05% - a gain of 0.55 points - to finish at 18.61. Bureau Veritas SA (EPA:BVI) rose 2.82% or 0.79 points to close at 28.85, and Capgemini SE (EPA:CAPP) added 2.49% or 2.65 points to end the day at 108.95.
On the downside, Safran SA (EPA:SAF) posted the largest decline on the CAC 40, sliding 3.43% or 10.60 points to 298.20 at the close. Luxury group Kering SA (EPA:PRTP) fell 3.07% or 7.80 points to 246.20, while ArcelorMittal SA (AS:MT) dropped 2.37% or 1.24 points to 51.04.
The SBF 120 also saw notable moves. Soitec SA (EPA:SOIT) led gains on the index, jumping 11.27% to 85.48. Eutelsat Communications SA (EPA:ETL) climbed 7.86% to end at 2.69, and Atos SE (EPA:ATOS) increased 5.98% to 37.56.
Conversely, Air France KLM SA (EPA:AIRF) was among the weakest names on the SBF 120, declining 4.07% to 9.80. Safran SA (EPA:SAF) and Kering SA (EPA:PRTP) were also members of the index's laggards, falling 3.43% to 298.20 and 3.07% to 246.20, respectively.
On the Paris exchange, advancing issues outnumbered decliners 262 to 218, while 83 stocks finished unchanged.
Soitec SA's share price reached a 52-week high during the session, gaining 11.27% or 8.66 to trade at 85.48.
Market sentiment measures showed the CAC 40 VIX - the implied volatility indicator for CAC 40 options - unchanged at 18.96, a new 52-week high.
Commodity markets moved higher during the European session. June delivery gold futures rose 0.13% or 6.04 to 4,829.64 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for May delivery was up 2.46% or 2.25, reaching 93.54 a barrel, while the June Brent contract climbed 3.74% or 3.55 to trade at 98.48 a barrel.
In foreign exchange, EUR/USD was unchanged, moving 0.16% to 1.18, and EUR/GBP was unchanged at 0.87 with a 0.08% change. The US Dollar Index Futures rose 0.15% to 98.00.
Overall, the Paris market closed with a modest decline amid mixed individual stock performance and higher commodity prices, while volatility readings touched a one-year high.