(BFM Bourse) – The flagship Parisian index ends this first session of the week almost at the highest of the day, reacting favorably to information from the Washington Post, according to which Donald Trump could limit customs surcharges to certain sectors. What the principal concerned formally denied on his Truth Social network.
The Paris Stock Exchange is starting this first full week of January with a bang, after having lost more than 1.5% on Friday. The CAC 40 finished up sharply by 2.24% this Monday evening at 7,445.69 points, thus ending its race less than ten points from its highest of the day at 7,454.87 points.
The Parisian index suddenly accelerated its gains at midday after the Washington Post reported that the general customs duties wanted by Donald Trump could be reduced to certain sectors.
The American media, which relies on three anonymous sources, writes that the exact list of industries which would be affected is not clearly established at present. But it could encompass the logistics chain of defense activities, medical equipment or even energy-related components.
The president-elect, for his part, denied the information from the American media. “It’s false,” he reacted on his Truth Social network. “The Washington Post article, citing so-called anonymous sources that do not exist, falsely states that my pricing policy will be reduced. This is false. The Washington Post knows this is false. It This is a new example of 'fake news',” wrote the future occupant of the White House, quoted by AFP.
As a reminder, the American president-elect plans to introduce customs surcharges of 60% on Chinese imports as well as “universal duties” of 10% to 20% on those from other countries.
Luxury and semiconductors at the party
On the values side, the information from the Washington Post has clearly boosted the appetite for risk, allowing the vast majority of CAC 40 residents to close in the green.
Luxury, a sector which had suffered from fears of the introduction of customs surcharges, is progressing significantly. Hermès gained 4.5%, the stock having also benefited from a rating from Stifel which went to buy on the leather goods and saddle maker considering that the company will still show significantly higher growth than its rivals. It is followed by LVMH (+3.8%) and Kering (+2.45%).
The biggest increase in the CAC 40, however, was signed by STMicroelectronics (7.9%) while outside the CAC 40, Soitec jumped 7.5%. Both companies were buoyed by the good results of Foxconn, a major subcontractor of Apple, itself a major customer of semiconductor groups (notably STMicroelectronics).
Imerys took the lead in the SBF 120 (+10.7%), thanks to announcements which suggest the end of the heavy talc issue in the United States.
On the foreign exchange market, the euro maintains its lead against the dollar reacting to information from the Washington Post. The euro zone currency gained another 0.8% against the greenback to 1.0395 dollars, after reaching a high of 1.0437 dollars. The customs surcharges wanted by Donald Trump had, in recent weeks, allowed the dollar to climb against other currencies.
On other markets, oil is moving little. The March contract on North Sea Brent gained 0.4% to $76.83 per barrel while the February contract on WTI listed in New York advanced 0.35% to $74.22 per barrel.
Sabrina Sadgui – ©2025 BFM Bourse
