CAC 40 Edges Up as BNP Paribas Soars

BNP Paribas

On Thursday, French stocks are exhibiting a mixed performance as investors respond to earnings and economic updates, while also anticipating the European Central Bank’s monetary policy announcement. The benchmark CAC 40, which reached 8,312.68 earlier in the session, was up 23.33 points or 0.28% at 8,285.49 recently. BNP Paribas experienced a notable increase of 3.75% following the release of robust results. The bank announced a fourth quarter net income of 2.97 billion euros, reflecting a 28% increase from 2.32 billion euros in the same period last year. Operating income reached 3.97 billion euros, up from 3.33 billion euros, reflecting a notable increase of 19.3%. For the full year 2025, operating income reached 16.30 billion euros, reflecting a 5.6% increase compared to the previous year. EPS reached 10.29 euros, reflecting a 7.5% increase. Revenues reached 51.22 billion euros, reflecting an increase of 4.9%.

  • Legrand experienced an increase of nearly 3%, while Euronext and ArcelorMittal saw rises of 2.5% and 2.35%.
  • Publicis Groupe saw an increase of 1.75%, while Schneider Electric and STMicroElectronics both rose by 1.5%.
  • Bureau Veritas experienced a climb of 1.3%, with Dassault Systemes and Safran advancing by 1.2% and 1.1%.
  • Stellantis experienced a decline of 2.7%, while Orange saw a decrease of 2%.
  • Engie, Kering, Michelin, Renault, Thales, Sanofi, and Air Liquide experienced declines ranging from 1.2% to 1.6%.

Data revealed that France’s industrial production experienced an unexpected decline in December, falling by 0.7% on a monthly basis, in contrast to the 0.1% increase recorded in November. Production was projected to increase by 0.2% in December. In a similar vein, manufacturing output experienced a decline of 0.8% following a previous increase of 0.5%. The HCOB Construction PMI in France registered at 43.5 in January 2026, remaining largely consistent with the figures from December and November, according to data. A report indicated that Eurozone retail sales experienced a greater decline than anticipated in December, attributed to a decrease in non-food product turnover.

According to Eurostat, retail sales experienced a decline of 0.5% month-on-month in December, representing the first decrease in four months. The decline came after a 0.1% increase in November. Sales were projected to decline by 0.2%. In December, retail sales growth slowed more than anticipated, registering at 1.3%, a decline from the 2.4% observed in November. The anticipated rate of growth was 1.6%. In the EU27, retail sales experienced a decline of 0.5 percent from November, while showing an increase of 1.7 percent compared to the previous year.