French Stocks Extend Gains

2026-02-05 08:48 By Czyrill Jean Coloma 1 min. read

The CAC 40 rose 0.3% to 8,286 on Thursday, extending gains from the previous session, as investors positioned ahead of the European Central Bank’s upcoming monetary policy decision.

The ECB is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged, with policymakers weighing the impact of a stronger euro and a surge in low-priced Chinese imports on the euro zone’s inflation outlook.

Domestically, industrial production fell 0.7% month-on-month in December 2025, reversing an upwardly revised 0.1% increase in November and defying market expectations of a 0.2% rise.

Meanwhile, attention also turned to a fresh round of corporate earnings.

BNP Paribas shares surged 4.2% to a record high after the bank reported unexpectedly high Q4 profits and raised its medium-term financial targets, including a higher profitability goal for 2028.

Other banking stocks also advanced, with Crédit Agricole up 0.4% and Société Générale gaining 1.7%, supported by positive earnings sentiment.



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