Paris stocks closed higher on Wednesday, fueled by gains across the Technology, Industrials and Healthcare sectors.
At the close of trading in Paris, the CAC 40 rose 1.33%. The broader SBF 120 index also finished the day higher, gaining 1.32%.
The top performers on the CAC 40 included STMicroelectronics NV, which increased 4.49% or 1.24 points to finish at 28.75. Sanofi SA added 2.94% or 2.29 points to close at 80.06, and Societe Generale SA rose 2.61% or 1.66 points to end the session at 65.18.
On the downside for the CAC 40, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield SE slipped 1.06% or 1.00 points to trade at 93.68 at the close. Publicis Groupe SA declined 0.94% or 0.66 points to finish at 69.74, and Danone SA fell 0.85% or 0.58 points to close at 67.74.
Turning to the SBF 120, Eramet SA led gains with an 8.06% advance to 51.35. Soitec SA rose 7.57% to settle at 54.54, and STMicroelectronics NV was also among the index's top performers, gaining 4.49% to close at 28.75.
The weakest members of the SBF 120 included Solutions 30 SE, down 2.76% to 0.74 in late trade, Mercialys SA, which lost 1.39% to settle at 11.32, and Atos SE, which fell 1.39% to 36.99 at the close.
Across the Paris Stock Exchange as a whole, rising issues outnumbered decliners by 290 to 167, while 100 stocks finished unchanged.
Two stocks recorded notable low points in the session: shares of Publicis Groupe SA fell to 52-week lows, losing 0.94% or 0.66 to end at 69.74, and Solutions 30 SE fell to 5-year lows, down 2.76% or 0.02 to 0.74.
The CAC 40 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of CAC 40 options, was unchanged at 0.00% to 18.96, marking a new 52-week high for the index.
Commodities and currencies showed mixed moves. Gold Futures for June delivery rose 3.29% or 145.90 to $4,580.00 a troy ounce. In oil markets, crude oil for delivery in May fell 1.99% or 1.84 to $90.51 a barrel, while the June Brent oil contract declined 3.11% or 3.12 to trade at $97.11 a barrel.
On currency markets, EUR/USD was unchanged 0.36% to 1.16, and EUR/GBP was unchanged 0.08% to 0.86. The US Dollar Index Futures moved higher by 0.14% to 99.38.
The session highlighted strength in technology and industrial names within Paris benchmarks, while select real estate and communications names underperformed. Trading breadth favored advancers, and volatility readings for CAC 40 options reached a fresh 52-week peak.