Stocks in Paris finished the trading session lower on Wednesday as declines in key sectors, notably Oil & Gas, Utilities and Consumer Services, pushed the headline indexes lower.
At the close, the CAC 40 was down 0.79% while the SBF 120 slipped 0.73%.
Winners and losers
EssilorLuxottica SA (EPA:ESLX) led gains on the CAC 40, rising 5.46% - an increase of 8.95 points - to finish at 173.00. Renault SA (EPA:RENA) gained 4.78% or 1.20 points to close at 26.28, and Stellantis NV (EPA:STLAM) advanced 3.27% or 0.16 points to end the session at 5.14.
On the downside, Orange SA (EPA:ORAN) dropped 4.48% or 0.74 points to close at 15.77. Engie SA (EPA:ENGIE) declined 3.77% or 1.04 points to finish at 26.55, and Carrefour SA (EPA:CARR) lost 3.38% or 0.55 points to trade at 15.70 at the close.
SBF 120 movers
Within the SBF 120, SES (EPA:SESFd) was the session's strongest performer, rising 10.12% to 7.89. Teleperformance SE (EPA:TEPRF) climbed 9.13% to settle at 50.18, and EssilorLuxottica SA (EPA:ESLX) likewise featured among the top gainers on the broader index, up 5.46% to 173.00.
The weakest names on the SBF 120 included Viridien SA (EPA:VIRI), which fell 7.76% to 77.30. Orange SA (EPA:ORAN) also registered among the largest declines on the broader index, down 4.48% to 15.77, and X Fab Silicon Foundries EV (EPA:XFAB) dropped 4.04% to finish at 7.60.
Market breadth and volatility
Decliners narrowly outnumbered advancers on the Paris exchange, with 233 stocks falling versus 226 that rose; 84 issues ended unchanged.
The CAC 40 VIX, which measures implied volatility for CAC 40 options, was unchanged at 18.96 and recorded a new 52-week high.
Commodities and FX
In commodities, Gold Futures for August delivery rose 1.51% or 60.87 to $4,099.37 a troy ounce. Crude oil for August delivery fell 2.04% or 1.42 to $68.08 a barrel, while the September Brent contract declined 2.49% or 1.82 to $71.13 a barrel.
On currency markets, EUR/USD was listed as unchanged 0.24% to 1.14 and EUR/GBP unchanged 0.45% to 0.86. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.10% at 101.06.
Close recap
The day closed with the CAC 40 down 0.79% and the SBF 120 down 0.73%, amid mixed individual stock moves: several large-cap industrial and luxury stocks posted solid gains while key utility and consumer-facing names were among the heaviest decliners. Volatility as measured by the CAC 40 VIX remained at a 52-week high level, and commodity markets saw gold move higher while crude benchmarks eased.