CAC 40 Closes Week at Historic High
2026-02-20 16:53
By
Felipe Alarcon
1 min. read
The CAC 40 surged 1.4% to a record 8,516 on Friday, capping its best week since early January after the US Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s global tariffs.
The 6-3 ruling, which found the use of emergency powers to bypass Congress unconstitutional, sparked a massive relief rally in trade-sensitive luxury giants with LVMH jumping 4.4% and Hermes climbing 3.6%.
Industrials also flourished on the news as Airbus rose 1.4% and Saint-Gobain added 3.1%.
On the earnings front, Air Liquide surged 4.6% after reporting a 6.4% rise in 2025 net profit and raising its margin targets through 2027.
This corporate optimism helped investors overlook mixed macro data, including a February composite PMI of 49.9 which signaled near-stagnation in the private sector.
While energy major TotalEnergies fell 1.5% as oil prices cooled, banks like Societe Generale and BNP Paribas gained roughly 1% on the broader market strength.
The index finished the week up approximately 1.3%.