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Stock Markets February 12, 2026

Paris Stocks Close Higher; CAC 40 Advances 0.33% on Consumer and Industrial Strength

Consumer Services, Consumer Goods and Industrials lead gains as market breadth remains tilted toward decliners

By Ajmal Hussain
Paris Stocks Close Higher; CAC 40 Advances 0.33% on Consumer and Industrial Strength

France's main equity gauge, the CAC 40, finished the session up 0.33%, while the broader SBF 120 rose 0.28%. Consumer-facing names and industrials drove much of the upside, with individual large-cap movers including Michelin, Danone and EssilorLuxottica. Market breadth favored decliners, several large caps hit multi-year extremes, and volatility for the CAC 40 reached a 52-week high.

Key Points

  • CAC 40 closed up 0.33% and SBF 120 gained 0.28%, led by Consumer Services, Consumer Goods and Industrials.
  • Top CAC 40 gainers were Michelin (EPA:MICP +4.88%), Danone (EPA:DANO +4.72%) and EssilorLuxottica (EPA:ESLX +4.19%); major decliners included ArcelorMittal (AS:MT -4.79%), Capgemini (EPA:CAPP -4.37%) and Sanofi (EPA:SASY -4.19%).
  • Market breadth favored declines (270 down, 217 up, 73 unchanged); CAC 40 VIX reached a 52-week high at 18.96, and commodities and FX moved lower for gold and oil while the US Dollar Index Futures rose.

Paris equity markets closed higher on Thursday, with the CAC 40 up 0.33% and the SBF 120 adding 0.28% as gains concentrated in the Consumer Services, Consumer Goods and Industrials sectors pushed indices slightly higher by the close.

Top movers on the CAC 40

  • Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin SCA (EPA:MICP) led the benchmark's gainers, advancing 4.88% - a rise of 1.58 points - to finish at 33.95.
  • Danone SA (EPA:DANO) followed, climbing 4.72% or 3.26 points to close at 72.28.
  • EssilorLuxottica SA (EPA:ESLX) rose 4.19%, up 10.50 points to end the session at 261.30.

Largest decliners on the CAC 40

  • ArcelorMittal SA (AS:MT) was the biggest laggard on the index, sliding 4.79% or 2.64 points to settle at 52.48.
  • Capgemini SE (EPA:CAPP) dropped 4.37%, a loss of 4.56 points, to close at 99.74.
  • Sanofi SA (EPA:SASY) declined 4.19% or 3.46 points to finish at 79.10.

SBF 120 highlights

  • Among SBF 120 components, Valneva (EPA:VLS) was a notable outperformer, jumping 6.99% to 4.35.
  • Ipsen SA (EPA:IPN) added 6.34%, reaching 147.60.
  • Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin SCA (EPA:MICP) also ranked among the SBF 120's best performers, closing at 33.95 after a 4.88% gain.

Weakest SBF 120 names

  • Sopra Steria Group SA (EPA:SOPR) fell 7.39% to 121.50.
  • Soitec SA (EPA:SOIT) lost 6.45% to end at 36.58.
  • Alten SA (EPA:LTEN) declined 5.23% to close at 63.45.

Market breadth on the Paris exchange showed more falling issues than advancing ones: 270 shares declined versus 217 that gained, while 73 were unchanged. Notably, shares in Capgemini SE (EPA:CAPP) fell to 5-year lows after the 4.37% drop to 99.74, and Sopra Steria Group SA (EPA:SOPR) similarly reached 5-year lows following its 7.39% slide to 121.50. In contrast, Ipsen SA (EPA:IPN) climbed to a 5-year high after the 6.34% gain to 147.60.

The CAC 40 VIX, which tracks the implied volatility priced into CAC 40 options, was unchanged at 18.96 - marking a new 52-week high despite the 0.00% change on the day.

Commodities and FX

  • Gold Futures for April delivery fell 2.58%, a drop of 131.76, to $4,966.74 per troy ounce.
  • Crude oil for March delivery slipped 2.85% or $1.84 to trade at $62.79 per barrel.
  • The April Brent oil contract declined 2.74% or $1.90 to $67.50 a barrel.
  • On the currency front, EUR/USD was effectively unchanged, moving 0.09% to 1.19, while EUR/GBP was up 0.06% to 0.87.
  • The US Dollar Index Futures rose 0.16% to 96.88.

Investor takeaway

Thursday's session was characterized by selective strength among consumer and industrial names that lifted headline indices modestly, while broader participation remained tilted toward declines. Several large-cap names recorded multi-year extremes on both the upside and downside, and implied volatility for the CAC 40 reached a 52-week peak even as the index closed higher.

Note on research tools

For investors seeking data-driven perspectives on opportunities, there are subscription services that combine institutional-grade data with AI-driven analysis to help identify investment candidates and frame decisions. These tools aim to surface more ideas with structured data and analytical support.

Risks

  • Market breadth was negative with more decliners than advancers, indicating potential underlying weakness despite index gains - this affects equity sectors broadly, including technology and industrials.
  • Several large-cap stocks hit 5-year lows, highlighting company-specific downside risk in names such as Capgemini (EPA:CAPP) and Sopra Steria (EPA:SOPR) which could affect sector sentiment in IT services.
  • Rising implied volatility for the CAC 40 to a 52-week high suggests increased option-implied uncertainty for the French market, which can impact trading costs and risk management for equity and derivatives participants.

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