Cautious Investors Keep CAC 40 In Tight Range

(RTTNews) - France's CAC 40 moved in a tight range Wednesday morning as investors largely stayed cautious amid a lack of significant triggers. Optimism about U.S.-Iran peace talks, and easing concerns about AI infrastructure spending supported the market.

The CAC 40, moving between 8,661.06 and 8,693.89, was down 4.91 points or 0.06% at 8,661.70 at noon.

Data from S&P Global showed the S&P Global France Manufacturing PMI rose to 49.4 in July from 47.2 in the previous month, and slightly below market expectations of 49.6, signaling the softest contraction in private sector activity in three months. The Services PMI rose to 49.6 in July, up from June's 46.8%.

Data from INSEE showed industrial production in France rose 0.1% month-on-month in June 2025, missing market expectations of a 0.3% increase but rebounding from a 0.1% drop in the previous month.

Euronext, Carrefour, Thales and Veolia Environment gained 1.4%-1.7%. Danone moved up 1.3%, while Accor, Air Liquide, L'Oreal, Publicis Groupe, TotalEnergies, Safran and Engie moved up 0.4%-0.75%.

LVMH and Hermes International lost 2% and 1.7%, respectively. Michelin shed 1.1% and Orange drifted down by about 1%.

Credit Agricole, Legrand, Unibail Rodamco, Kering, Saint-Gobain, Bouygues, Vinci, ArcelorMittal and Renault lost 0.4%-0.7%.