French stocks experienced an uptick in positive territory Thursday morning, building on gains from the prior session. This movement came as concerns regarding inflation and trade showed signs of easing, encouraging investors to acquire shares. A rebound in oil prices constrained the market’s potential for upward movement. Investors maintained their attention on political developments as nationwide strikes and protests are scheduled to occur in multiple cities today, driven by concerns over the cost of living and the decline in public services and education.
Alongside processing the most recent set of regional economic indicators, investors maintained their focus on earnings announcements to inform their decisions. The benchmark CAC 40, which climbed to 8,285.81 earlier in the session, was up 54.74 points or 0.67% at 8,232.63 a few minutes before noon.
- Legrand experienced an increase of nearly 6% following the announcement of earnings per share amounting to Euro 1.46 for the third quarter, in contrast to Euro 1.11 from the previous year. Revenue for the third quarter reached Euro 2.93 billion, an increase from Euro 2.19 billion in the same quarter of the previous year.
- ArcelorMittal experienced a 6% increase following the announcement that the quarterly core profit of the world’s second-largest steelmaker exceeded expectations.
- Bouygues experienced an increase of approximately 3.6% following the conglomerate’s revision of its full-year outlook.
- Saint-Gobain experienced an increase of 2.5%, while Safran saw a rise of 2%. Additionally, Societe Generale, Schneider Electric, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole, Euronext, Eiffage, Vinci, and Airbus all recorded gains ranging from 1% to 1.8%.
- Air France-KLM surged by 13%. The airline group reported a third-quarter operating profit that exceeded expectations, fuelled by robust demand for non-stop services to India and Asia, in conjunction with the ongoing enhancement of its premium offerings.
- STMicroelectronics experienced a decline of approximately 2%. Hermes International and TotalEnergies experienced a decline of approximately 1.25%.
- Kering, Thales, and LVMH recorded slight declines in their financial performance. Engie experienced a decline, even as it reported enhanced results for the first nine months of 2026.
Data indicated that industrial production in France decreased by 0.5% month-on-month in September, following a 0.4% decline in August, contrary to expectations of a 0.3% recovery. On a yearly basis, activity decreased by 1.3%, marking the most significant decline since April 2025, subsequent to a 0.2% increase in August. The S&P Global France Construction PMI decreased to 38.8 in October, a decline from 39.8 in the preceding month, according to data.
