Paris equities finished the trading day in negative territory on Thursday, with pressure from the Industrials, Basic Materials and Utilities sectors weighing on the market. The benchmark CAC 40 closed down 0.36%, while the broader SBF 120 slipped 0.31%.
Among the individual performers on the CAC 40, Orange SA (EPA:ORAN) led gains, advancing 7.46% or 1.26 points to end the session at 18.14. Carrefour SA (EPA:CARR) rose 3.52% or 0.51 points to finish at 15.16, and Pernod Ricard SA (EPA:PERP) added 2.74% or 2.24 points to close at 83.94.
On the downside, Airbus Group SE (EPA:AIR) posted the largest drop on the CAC 40, falling 6.75% or 13.55 points to trade at 187.10 at the close. Stellantis NV (EPA:STLAM) declined 4.37% or 0.29 points to 6.42, and Euronext (EPA:ENX) lost 3.16% or 4.00 points to end the day at 122.50.
The SBF 120 showed a similar mix of moves. Air France KLM SA (EPA:AIRF) was the best performer on the index, jumping 11.75% to 12.98, followed by FDJ United (EPA:FDJU), up 8.23% to settle at 24.72. Orange SA also featured among the SBF 120 leaders, gaining 7.46% to close at 18.14.
At the other end of the SBF 120, Eramet SA (EPA:ERMT) recorded a steep decline of 23.68% to 46.10 in late trade. Emeis SA (EPA:EMEIS) dropped 11.69% to settle at 13.68, and Nexans SA (EPA:NEXS) fell 7.25% to 126.60 at the close.
Market breadth on the Paris exchange was tilted toward declines: falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones by 267 to 205, while 82 issues finished unchanged.
Notable single-stock developments included Orange reaching five-year highs, with the shares rising 7.46% or 1.26 to 18.14 during the session.
Volatility, as measured by the CAC 40 VIX, moved to a new 52-week high. The index was unchanged on the day, registering 18.96, a fresh 52-week peak for the gauge of implied volatility in CAC 40 options.
Commodity markets reflected upward pressure. Gold futures for April delivery were up 0.07% or 3.35, quoted at 5,012.85 per troy ounce. Energy contracts climbed as well: April delivery crude oil gained 2.60% or 1.69 to reach 66.74 a barrel, while the April Brent contract rose 2.30% or 1.62 to trade at 71.97 a barrel.
Foreign exchange and dollar measures showed modest movement. EUR/USD was unchanged 0.22% at 1.18, and EUR/GBP was unchanged 0.21% at 0.88. The US Dollar Index Futures rose 0.26% to 97.88.
This session’s results left France’s main equity measures in the red for the day, with mixed performances across large-cap names and pronounced volatility reflected in the VIX and commodity prices. Market participants saw a split between a handful of strong gainers and several stocks registering double-digit percentage moves to the downside on the SBF 120.