French Stocks Snap 8-Day Decline

2026-08-21 08:00 By Czyrill Jean Coloma 1 min. read

The CAC 40 rose 0.2% to 8,467 on Friday, snapping an eight-session losing streak as global bond markets steadied after two days of heightened volatility.

Investors turned their attention to a fresh batch of European economic data, including the latest PMI surveys.

In France, the flash Composite PMI slipped to 48.8 in August from 49.4 in July, remaining in negative territory.

The decline was driven by a deepening contraction in the services sector (48.4 vs 49.6), despite the manufacturing sector returning to growth (51.5 vs 49.8).

Meanwhile, France’s manufacturing business climate indicator improved to 103 in August, surpassing both market expectations and July’s reading of 101 and marking its strongest level since January.

Notable gainers included BNP Paribas (1.1%), STMicroelectronics (1.7%), and Stellantis NV (1.1%).

In contrast, the worst laggards included Thales (-1.4%), Publicis (-1.0%), and Capgemini (-2.2%).

For the week, the CAC 40 was still headed for a second weekly loss.



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