Paris’s stock market concluded Thursday's trading session with notable advances, propelled by gains across several major industry sectors. The benchmark CAC 40 index registered an increase of 0.99%, settling at a higher level by the market close, while the broader SBF 120 index also finished the day up by 1.00%.
Within the CAC 40, ArcelorMittal SA emerged as the session's top performer, witnessing a 6.36% increase, or 2.77 points, closing at 46.35, reaching its five-year peak. Orange SA followed, rising 3.97% or 0.57 points to 14.95, also ascending to a five-year high. Compagnie de Saint Gobain completed the day's notable gainers with a 3.80% rise, adding 3.10 points to close at 84.78.
On the contrary, the day's weakest performers included Thales, which fell 3.94% or 10.30 points to close at 251.40, Safran SA that dropped 3.04%, losing 9.60 points to finish at 306.00, and Renault SA declining 1.73% or 0.57 points to 32.33.
The wider SBF 120 index revealed a diverse range in stock performances. Inter Parfums Inc. led the gainers with an 8.17% jump to 25.94, followed by Ipsos with a 6.61% rise closing at 35.14, and Derichebourg, which gained 6.54%, ending at 7.83, marking a three-year high. Among the laggards were Ubisoft Entertainment, which significantly plunged 39.83% to a five-year low of 3.99, Eutelsat Communications SA dropping 6.14% to 2.22, and Edenred SA, which decreased by 4.03% to 18.23.
Stock movement statistics indicated that advancing shares outnumbered decliners on the Paris Stock Exchange by 326 to 164, while 91 stocks remained unchanged. Notably, the CAC 40 VIX index, which measures implied volatility of options on the CAC 40, held steady at 18.96, marking a new 52-week high, underscoring a heightened level of market uncertainty.
Commodity markets exhibited mixed trends; Gold Futures for February delivery rose 0.99% or 47.89 points to close at $4,885.39 per troy ounce. In contrast, crude oil prices retreated, with March delivery West Texas Intermediate crude falling 2.03% to $59.39 per barrel, and Brent crude for March delivery similarly declining by 1.92% to $63.99 per barrel.
Currency movements showed the euro appreciating against the US dollar by 0.45% to 1.17, while remaining largely stable against the British pound with a minimal increase of 0.02% to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures declined modestly by 0.38%, closing at 98.19.