French Stocks Slip, Set for 6th Weekly Fall
2026-09-18 07:51
By
Czyrill Jean Coloma
1 min. read
The CAC 40 fell 0.6% on Friday, retreating after two consecutive sessions of gains and heading for its sixth straight weekly decline as investors weighed the latest decisions from major central banks.
Notably, the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan raised rates earlier this week, while the Bank of England left interest rates unchanged.
Meanwhile, traders pared back bets on further ECB tightening despite the Federal Reserve’s more hawkish stance, citing concerns that persistently high energy prices could weigh on economic growth and eventually temper inflationary pressures.
Domestically, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is working to hammer out a deficit-reduction budget for 2027 as growing bond-market pressure and a rising cost of living heighten fiscal strains.
Among the notable laggards, LVMH fell 0.8%, TotalEnergies declined 1.1%, BNP Paribas dropped 1%, AXA lost 2.5%, and Essilor slipped 1.1%.
In contrast, STMicroelectronics climbed 2.1%.