Shares on the Paris bourse finished the session in negative territory on Wednesday, led lower by losses in Consumer Goods, Consumer Services and Basic Materials. At the close in Paris, the CAC 40 fell 0.60%, while the broader SBF 120 slipped 0.47%.
Trading saw pronounced swings among individual names. The strongest advance on the CAC 40 was posted by Kering SA (EPA:PRTP), which climbed 16.91% - a gain of 42.35 points - to finish at 292.85. Bureau Veritas SA (EPA:BVI) added 7.14%, rising 1.95 points to 29.27, and Capgemini SE (EPA:CAPP) rose 5.31%, up 5.40 points to 107.10.
At the other end of the index, Hermes International SCA (EPA:HRMS) recorded the largest drop, falling 11.03% or 187.00 points to close at 1,508.50. STMicroelectronics NV (EPA:STMPA) declined 3.55%, down 1.58 points to 42.90, and Danone SA (EPA:DANO) ended the session 2.30% lower, losing 1.66 points to 70.58.
The SBF 120 showed a similar pattern of concentrated winners and losers. Alten SA (EPA:LTEN) led gains on the index, jumping 19.46% to 79.80. Kering SA again featured among the top performers, up 16.91% to its 292.85 close, and Sopra Steria Group SA (EPA:SOPR) climbed 13.59% to end at 195.60.
Conversely, Hermes International SCA (EPA:HRMS) was the weakest name on the SBF 120, down 11.03% to 1,508.50 in late trade. Verallia (EPA:VRLA) fell 4.67% to settle at 18.57, while STMicroelectronics NV (EPA:STMPA) was down 3.55% to 42.90 at the close.
Market breadth was near even: rising stocks outnumbered decliners on the Paris Stock Exchange by 235 to 228, while 85 issues finished unchanged.
Notable price action and technical notes
Hermes' shares moved to a three-year low in the session, dropping 11.03% or 187.00 to 1,508.50. Sopra Steria Group SA (EPA:SOPR) reached a 52-week high after advancing 13.59% or 23.40 to 195.60.
The CAC 40 VIX, the gauge of implied volatility for CAC 40 options, was unchanged at 0.00% and stood at 18.96, which is cited as a new 52-week high.
Commodities and currencies
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for August delivery fell 0.78%, a decline of 31.45, to $4,007.25 a troy ounce. Crude oil for September delivery rose 7.29%, up 5.78, to $85.04 a barrel, while the October Brent contract increased 7.26% or 5.96 to trade at $88.04 a barrel.
On the foreign exchange front, EUR/USD was effectively unchanged at 0.11% to 1.14, and EUR/GBP was unchanged 0.01% to 0.86. The US Dollar Index Futures rose 0.05% to 101.32.
Session summary
- CAC 40: closed down 0.60%.
- SBF 120: closed down 0.47%.
- Top gainers included PRTP, LTEN, SOPR, BVI and CAPP.
- Largest decliners included HRMS, VRLA, STMPA and DANO.
Overall, the Paris market closed lower with notable dispersion among individual stocks and a higher reading on the volatility measure for the main index.