French Stocks Fall After PMI Data

2026-05-21 07:50 By Czyrill Jean Coloma 1 min. read

The CAC 40 fell 0.3% to 8,096 on Thursday, trimming gains from the previous session as investors weighed the latest PMI data while assessing recent developments in the U.S.-Iran peace negotiations.

Preliminary estimates showed that the composite PMI dropped sharply to 43.5 in May 2026 from 47.6 in April, coming in well below market expectations of 47.7.

The downturn was driven by a steeper decline in services activity (42.9 vs 46.5) and a renewed contraction in manufacturing activity (48.9 vs 52.8), indicating deteriorating demand conditions amid mounting cost pressures linked to elevated energy prices caused by the ongoing Middle East conflict.

Recent developments showed that Iran was reviewing Washington’s latest proposal to ease tensions after President Trump expressed willingness to give Tehran several more days to provide “ the right answers.

Among individual stocks, major decliners included Hermès (-1.0%), Airbus (-2.5%), Vinci (-1.0%), and Société Générale (-1.7%).



News Stream
French Stocks Fall After PMI Data
The CAC 40 fell 0.3% to 8,096 on Thursday, trimming gains from the previous session as investors weighed the latest PMI data while assessing recent developments in the U.S.-Iran peace negotiations. Preliminary estimates showed that the composite PMI dropped sharply to 43.5 in May 2026 from 47.6 in April, coming in well below market expectations of 47.7. The downturn was driven by a steeper decline in services activity (42.9 vs 46.5) and a renewed contraction in manufacturing activity (48.9 vs 52.8), indicating deteriorating demand conditions amid mounting cost pressures linked to elevated energy prices caused by the ongoing Middle East conflict. Recent developments showed that Iran was reviewing Washington’s latest proposal to ease tensions after President Trump expressed willingness to give Tehran several more days to provide “ the right answers. Among individual stocks, major decliners included Hermès (-1.0%), Airbus (-2.5%), Vinci (-1.0%), and Société Générale (-1.7%).
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