France’s equity index CAC 40 is experiencing an upward movement on Wednesday, building on the gains from the prior session, as investors remain attentive to geopolitical developments and monitor a new set of quarterly earnings reports. The recent data indicating a decline in consumer price inflation is bolstering sentiment. Defense stocks experienced an uptick, bolstered by a pact between India and France aimed at enhancing defense and aerospace collaboration. The CAC 40 advanced to 8,416.05, reflecting an increase of 44.05 points or 0.53% at 8,405.51 just moments ago.

• Pernod Ricard has experienced a decline of approximately 4.2% where as Thales has experienced an increase of 4.8%.
• EssilorLuxottica is facing a decrease of nearly 4%.
• STMicroelectronics is experiencing an increase of approximately 3.2%.
• ArcelorMittal and Schneider Electric have risen by 3% and 2.7%, respectively.
• Societe Generale, Safran, and BNP Paribas have experienced increases ranging from 2.15% to 2.3%.
• Airbus, TotalEnergies, Credit Agricole, Engie, and Bouygues are experiencing gains in the range of 1.2% to 1.5%.
• Eurofins Scientific, Veolia Environment, Eiffage, Vinci, Stellantis, Kering, and Unibail Rodamco are experiencing significant upward movements.

Carrefour’s shares have experienced a decline of over 5% following the company’s announcement of a decrease in operating profit for 2025, attributed to acquisition expenses. Capgemini is experiencing a decline of 2.7%, whereas Hermes International, Air Liquide, Saint Gobain, and Euronext are all witnessing decreases in the range of 1% to 1.6%. Final data indicated that France’s inflation moderated to its lowest level in five years in January, remaining significantly below the European Central Bank’s target of 2%. The consumer price index experienced a modest increase of 0.3% year-over-year in January, a deceleration from the 0.8% rise recorded in December, according to the data presented. This represents the lowest rate observed since December 2020, a period during which prices exhibited stability. In a similar vein, EU harmonized inflation decreased to 0.4%, as anticipated, down from 0.7% in December. The harmonized rate represented its lowest point since December 2020.

Simultaneously, core inflation registered at 0.7% in January, a decrease from 1.1% in the preceding month. This represents the lowest point observed since July 2021. In the latest monthly assessment, consumer prices experienced a decline of 0.3%, following a modest increase of 0.1% in the previous period. In a similar vein, the harmonized index of consumer prices decreased by 0.4% after a modest increase of 0.1% in the previous month. The CPI and HICP rates were in alignment with the previously released flash estimates.