18.12.202508:51:47UTC+00CAC 40 Edges Up on Thursday

The CAC 40 index inched up by 0.1% to settle at 8,100 points on Thursday, marking a recovery after two consecutive days of losses, amidst anticipated monetary policy announcements from major global economies. Leading the market gains was Pernod Ricard, which built on its previous day's surge with a 1.3% increase. Following closely were Sanofi and Eurofins Scientific, both advancing by 1.0%, and Essilor, up by 0.8%. Energy sector shares saw a boost from rising oil prices, as evidenced by gains in TotalEnergies SE (+0.8%), Engie (+0.2%), and Air Liquide (+0.2%). Accor edged up by 0.2% after announcing the rescheduling of its €100 million share buyback from the first quarter of 2026 to the fourth quarter of 2025 due to ongoing confidential negotiations regarding the sale of its stake in Essendi. Conversely, luxury brands underperformed, with Kering declining by 1.5%, Hermès down by 0.4%, and LVMH falling by 0.2%. Additionally, BNP Paribas fell by 0.6%, notwithstanding reports of its discussions to potentially acquire the car leasing division of Mercedes-Benz. Elsewhere, there was notable improvement in French business confidence, as the manufacturing business climate indicator for December reached its highest level in a year and a half.