The CAC 40 Index Closes 0.28% Higher

The CAC 40 gained 0.3% to close at 7,957 on Friday, erasing earlier losses as defense stocks provided support. Defense contractors advanced as tensions in Ukraine and the Middle East continued to influence markets. Airbus rose 2.1%, while Thales closed 2.8% higher. TotalEnergies gained 0.6% as oil prices extended their advance. Elsewhere, EssilorLuxottica rose 3.8% ahead of its third-quarter results, due on October 20. Bernstein maintained a Hold rating on the stock and left its price target unchanged. Stellantis climbed 2.6% amid reports that it is testing a new diesel-hybrid powertrain expected to debut in the next generation of large commercial vans manufactured at its Atessa plant, where the company has announced planned investments of €1 billion. In contrast, Schneider Electric fell 1.8% and STMicroelectronics dropped 0.6%, extending their losses amid continued uncertainty over the outlook for the AI infrastructure market.

The CAC 40 Index went up by 22 points or 0.28 percent on Friday to close at 7957 points. The rise was led by Essilor (3.35%), Thales (2.90%) and Pernod Ricard (2.66%). On the downside, the weakerst performers were Schneider Electric (-1.78%), Publicis (-1.18%) and Michelin (-1.17%).

The CAC 40 fell 0.2% to 7,922 on Friday, retreating after two consecutive sessions of gains as investors grew cautious over renewed trade tensions between the EU and China. The bloc is considering new powers to restrict access to its single market and assessing import data for potential surges, a preliminary step toward imposing quotas on additional goods from China and other economies. While China has warned of retaliation against new EU trade measures or discriminatory restrictions targeting Chinese companies and products, Beijing has also signaled its willingness to work with the bloc to address global imbalances. Investors also continued to assess the outlook for the artificial intelligence sector following a recent sell-off driven by concerns over AI spending. Among the biggest decliners, L’Oréal fell 0.9%, LVMH dropped 1.2%, Schneider Electric lost 1%, and Hermès slipped 0.9%. Despite Friday’s retreat, the index remained on track to snap a two-week losing streak.