French Stocks Hit 1-Month Low

2026-03-03 08:57 By Joshua Ferrer 1 min. read

The CAC 40 dropped 1.8% to around 8,175 on Tuesday, extending the previous session’s losses to hit a one-month low as the global sell-off deepened amid fears of a prolonged Middle East conflict.

The US military is expected to intensify strikes on Iran, while a senior Iranian official warned that ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments, could be targeted, raising global supply risks.

The escalation pushed energy prices higher, putting pressure on inflation and potentially prompting a more hawkish stance from the European Central Bank.

Luxury and banking stocks were still among the hardest hit, led by LVMH (-1.9%), Kering (-3.3%), and BNP Paribas (-4%).

Meanwhile, higher oil prices drove energy giant TotalEnergies up 0.6%, while Thales added 0.7% after the aerospace and technology firm reported a slightly higher-than-expected annual core profit.



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