European equities in Paris closed higher on Thursday as advances in Technology, Healthcare and Oil & Gas stocks supported the indices. At the close, the CAC 40 increased 0.53% and the SBF 120 rose 0.65%.
Among the top performers on the CAC 40, Veolia Environnement VE SA (EPA:VIE) led gains, finishing up 3.25% or 1.13 points at 35.94. Semiconductor heavyweight STMicroelectronics NV (EPA:STMPA) added 2.90% or 1.30 points to close at 46.02. Eurofins Scientific SE (EPA:EUFI) also posted a solid advance, rising 2.57% or 1.48 points to 59.02 in late trade.
Declines were concentrated among certain automotive and banking names. Stellantis NV (EPA:STLAM) registered the largest drop on the CAC 40, falling 6.40% or 0.43 points to end at 6.22. Credit Agricole SA (EPA:CAGR) decreased 3.66% or 0.63 points to 16.60, and Societe Generale SA (EPA:SOGN) slipped 3.59% or 2.55 points to finish at 68.44.
On the broader SBF 120, several mid-cap and specialty names posted strong gains. Soitec SA (EPA:SOIT) surged 12.25% to close at 126.95 while Aperam SA (AS:APAM) climbed 8.98% to 45.38. Ayvens SA (EPA:AYV) also moved higher, ending the session up 5.13% at 11.48.
Conversely, some SBF 120 constituents experienced steep losses. X-Fab Silicon Foundries EV (EPA:XFAB) dropped 8.64% to 6.29 in late trade, Worldline SA (EPA:WLN) fell 6.86% to 0.25 and Stellantis NV (EPA:STLAM) closed down 6.40% at 6.22.
Market breadth on the Paris exchange was positive. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by 252 to 218, while 85 stocks finished unchanged.
Several stocks reached milestone levels during the session. Shares of STMicroelectronics NV (EPA:STMPA) rose to 52-week highs, advancing 2.90% or 1.30 to 46.02. Soitec SA (EPA:SOIT) likewise hit a 52-week high, up 12.25% or 13.85 to 126.95. Aperam SA (AS:APAM) rose to 3-year highs, climbing 8.98% or 3.74 to 45.38.
Volatility measures moved higher as the CAC 40 VIX, which gauges the implied volatility of CAC 40 options, was unchanged in percentage terms at 0.00% but recorded a new 52-week high of 18.96.
Commodities saw mixed action. Gold futures for June delivery rose 1.48% or 67.30 to $4,628.80 a troy ounce. Crude oil for June delivery eased 2.40% or 2.57 to $104.31 a barrel, while the July Brent contract fell 0.62% or 0.69 to trade at $109.75 a barrel.
Currency markets reflected a firmer euro and a softer dollar. EUR/USD was up 0.51% to 1.17, while EUR/GBP was reported unchanged at 0.33% to 0.86. The US Dollar Index Futures declined 0.85% to 97.99.
Overall, Thursday's session in Paris saw selective strength across Technology, Healthcare and Oil & Gas names that helped lift the main indices, while certain large-cap automotive and banking stocks weighed on the market. Market participants registered increased implied volatility even as commodity and currency moves produced divergent effects across asset classes.