French Stocks Rebound, Still Set for Weekly Loss

2026-08-28 07:54 By Czyrill Jean Coloma 1 min. read

The CAC 40 rose 1% to around 8,404 on Friday, rebounding from the previous session as investors focused on domestic economic data.

France’s economy stagnated in Q2, missing the preliminary estimate of a 0.2% growth after contracting 0.2% in Q1.

The latest data added pressure on the government’s efforts to rein in a large budget deficit.

The first presidential election debate was dominated by discussions of France’s deteriorating public finances, with candidates proposing measures ranging from spending cuts and tax increases to higher public spending and reduced EU contributions.

Meanwhile, preliminary estimates showed annual inflation rising to a three-month high of 2.4% in August from 2.1% in July.

Attention now turns to Fitch’s latest assessment of France’s sovereign rating later in the day.

On the corporate front, EssilorLuxottica climbed 3.3% after announcing a share buyback program.

Despite Friday’s rebound, the CAC 40 was still set for a third straight weekly decline.



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French Stocks Rebound, Still Set for Weekly Loss
The CAC 40 rose 1% to around 8,404 on Friday, rebounding from the previous session as investors focused on domestic economic data. France’s economy stagnated in Q2, missing the preliminary estimate of a 0.2% growth after contracting 0.2% in Q1. The latest data added pressure on the government’s efforts to rein in a large budget deficit. The first presidential election debate was dominated by discussions of France’s deteriorating public finances, with candidates proposing measures ranging from spending cuts and tax increases to higher public spending and reduced EU contributions. Meanwhile, preliminary estimates showed annual inflation rising to a three-month high of 2.4% in August from 2.1% in July. Attention now turns to Fitch’s latest assessment of France’s sovereign rating later in the day. On the corporate front, EssilorLuxottica climbed 3.3% after announcing a share buyback program. Despite Friday’s rebound, the CAC 40 was still set for a third straight weekly decline.
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