French Stocks Hit 5-Month High
2026-07-31 07:45
By
Czyrill Jean Coloma
1 min. read
The CAC 40 climbed 1% to 8,572 on Friday, reaching its highest level since late February and putting the index on track for its fourth consecutive monthly gain, as investors welcomed a fresh batch of corporate earnings and business updates.
Engie advanced added 3.8% after reporting strong H1 results and raising its 2026 guidance.
Crédit Agricole jumped 4.5% after beating Q2 expectations.
Saint-Gobain surged 4.7% as the group returned to double-digit sales growth in Q2 and reaffirmed its 2026 outlook.
STMicroelectronics gained 4.2%, tracking strength in global technology stocks amid renewed optimism over artificial intelligence-related spending.
On the economic front, France’s annual inflation rate rose to 2.1% in July from 1.8% in the previous month, reinforcing the case for a more cautious approach to monetary easing by the European Central Bank.
Meanwhile, French producer prices declined 0.6% month-on-month in June, following a revised 0.2% drop in May.