Paris equities ended Tuesday trading in positive territory, pushed by strength in the Utilities, Oil & Gas and Basic Materials sectors. The CAC 40 settled up 0.26% and recorded a new closing peak, while the broader SBF 120 rose 0.30%.
The session winners among the CAC 40 constituents included Euronext (EPA:ENX), which gained 1.95% or 2.50 points to finish at 130.90. Stellantis NV (EPA:STLAM) advanced 1.95% or 0.13 points to close at 6.60, and Renault SA (EPA:RENA) rose 1.81% or 0.58 points to 32.59 by the end of trading.
On the downside, Safran SA (EPA:SAF) led decliners, slipping 1.56% or 5.40 points to end at 340.60. BNP Paribas SA (EPA:BNPP) fell 1.43% or 1.37 points to close at 94.48, and Herm s International SCA (EPA:HRMS) dropped 1.23% or 26.00 points to finish at 2,080.00.
The SBF 120 saw more pronounced movers outside the core index. Eramet SA (EPA:ERMT) was the top performer on that measure, jumping 8.24% to 56.50. Valneva (EPA:VLS) climbed 4.74% to settle at 5.08, and Technip Energies BV (EPA:TE) added 4.46% to close at 35.10. Conversely, Clariane SE (EPA:CLARI) declined 4.67% to 3.76, Ayvens SA (EPA:AYV) lost 3.26% to end at 10.68, and Air France KLM SA (EPA:AIRF) fell 3.23% to 12.72 at the close.
Breadth on the Paris exchange was narrowly negative by the closing bell: declining issues slightly outnumbered advancing ones, 244 to 241, while 86 shares finished unchanged. The CAC 40 VIX - the metric that gauges implied volatility for CAC 40 options - was flat on the session, holding at 18.96, which marked a 52-week high for that measure.
Commodity moves accompanied the equity action. Gold futures for April delivery slipped 1.10% or 57.39 to trade at 5,168.21 a troy ounce. In oil markets, April Brent crude fell 0.54% or 0.36 to $65.95 a barrel, and the May Brent contract eased 0.44% or 0.31 to $70.80 a barrel.
In currency trading, the euro was essentially unchanged against the dollar and the pound. EUR/USD was flat, moving 0.03% to 1.18, while EUR/GBP registered a 0.27% change to 0.87. The U.S. Dollar Index futures showed a small uptick of 0.06%, trading at 97.69.
Market context and takeaway
The session produced a record closing level for the CAC 40, underpinned by gains in select utilities, energy and materials names. However, the narrow margin between advancing and declining issues and the elevated reading in the CAC 40 VIX indicate that investor sentiment remains attentive to volatility risks despite the index rally.