Stock Markets March 5, 2026

Paris Stocks Retreat; CAC 40 Slips 1.49% to One-Month Low

Basic materials, industrials and financials weigh on market as commodities and currencies show mixed moves

By Leila Farooq MT
Paris Stocks Retreat; CAC 40 Slips 1.49% to One-Month Low
MT

French equities closed weaker on Thursday as declines in the Basic Materials, Industrials and Financials sectors pushed benchmark indexes lower. The CAC 40 fell 1.49% to a fresh one-month low while the broader SBF 120 dropped 1.50%. Gains in select technology and services names were outweighed by heavy losses in steel, aerospace and defence-related stocks.

Key Points

  • The CAC 40 fell 1.49% to a new one-month low, with the SBF 120 down 1.50%.
  • Technology and services names such as STMicroelectronics (STMPA), Dassault Systemes (DAST) and Capgemini (CAPP) posted gains, while ArcelorMittal (MT), Thales (TCFP) and Dassault Aviation (AM) were among the largest decliners.
  • Commodities and FX moved mixed: April crude rose to $79.34 a barrel and May Brent to $84.33, while April gold futures declined to $5,094.51 a troy ounce; EUR/USD and EUR/GBP showed minimal change.

Market close overview

Paris equities ended Thursday with broad losses. At the close in Paris, the CAC 40 lost 1.49% to hit a new 1-month low, while the SBF 120 index lost 1.50%.


Winners and losers on the CAC 40

The top performers on the CAC 40 were STMicroelectronics NV (EPA:STMPA), which rose 3.06% or 0.85 points to trade at 28.60 at the close. Dassault Systemes SE (EPA:DAST) added 2.61% or 0.48 points to end at 18.65 and Capgemini SE (EPA:CAPP) was up 2.38% or 2.55 points to 109.65 in late trade.

On the downside, ArcelorMittal SA (AS:MT) fell 6.79% or 3.59 points to trade at 49.31 at the close. Thales (EPA:TCFP) declined 5.70% or 14.30 points to end at 236.40 and Societe Generale SA (EPA:SOGN) was down 3.41% or 2.40 points to 67.98.


SBF 120 movers

Within the SBF 120, Teleperformance SE (EPA:TEPRF) led gains, rising 3.75% to 58.14. STMicroelectronics NV (EPA:STMPA) and Dassault Systemes SE (EPA:DAST) also featured among the strongest names, up 3.06% to settle at 28.60 and gaining 2.61% to close at 18.65, respectively.

The weakest stocks on the SBF 120 included Dassault Aviation SA (EPA:AM), which was down 9.05% to 315.60 in late trade. ArcelorMittal SA (AS:MT) lost 6.79% to settle at 49.31 and Thales (EPA:TCFP) was down 5.70% to 236.40 at the close.


Market breadth, volatility and key measures

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Paris Stock Exchange by 280 to 211 and 78 ended unchanged. The CAC 40 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of CAC 40 options, was unchanged 0.00% to 18.96 a new 52-week high.


Commodities and FX snapshot

Gold Futures for April delivery was down 0.78% or 40.19 to $5,094.51 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in April rose 6.27% or 4.68 to hit $79.34 a barrel, while the May Brent oil contract rose 3.60% or 2.93 to trade at $84.33 a barrel.

On currencies, EUR/USD was unchanged 0.41% to 1.16, while EUR/GBP unchanged 0.07% to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.47% at 99.19.


What to watch

Investors will note that positive moves in selected technology and outsourcing names did not compensate for substantial declines in materials and defence-related firms, leaving the major French benchmarks lower on the day.

Risks

  • Heavy losses in Basic Materials and Industrials, exemplified by ArcelorMittal's 6.79% drop, increase downside risk for resource-linked sectors.
  • Significant weakness in aerospace and defence-related stocks, such as Dassault Aviation (down 9.05%) and Thales (down 5.70%), presents uncertainty for the Industrials and Defence subsectors.
  • Overall market breadth showed more declines than advances (280 vs. 211), suggesting wider selling pressure that could affect Financials and related sectors, as evidenced by Societe Generale's 3.41% fall.

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