The control room of Euronext, the company that manages the Paris Stock Exchange (AFP / ERIC PIERMONT)
The Paris Stock Exchange ended down on Friday, in the wake of new record tensions in global borrowing rates, at the end of an eventful session with the publication of very solid American employment data.
The flagship index of the Paris Stock Exchange, the CAC 40, lost 0.79% or 59.24 points to 7,431.04 points.
On Thursday, it finished up 0.51% at 7,490.28 points.
Over the week as a whole, the Parisian index increased by 2.04%.
Like other world markets, the Paris Stock Exchange reacted negatively to the publication of figures on American employment, better than expected.
Job creation accelerated in December in the United States, causing the unemployment rate to fall slightly.
Over the last month of the year, 256,000 jobs were created, more than the previous month, the figures of which were however revised slightly downwards (212,000 compared to 227,000 initially), bringing unemployment down to 4.1% (-0. 1 point), according to official data published on Friday.
These figures are therefore good news for the American economy, but less good news for the markets.
From their point of view, this report is “perhaps too positive (…) which fuels the prospect of persistent inflation, because the labor market is still solid”, suggests Patrick O’Hare, of Briefing. com.
“If this robustness continues, this certainly argues in favor of the US Federal Reserve maintaining interest rates at a higher level for a little longer than was forecast a few months ago,” predicts Christian Scherrmann, economist at DWS.
These American data have blown the embers of a bond market already very tense since the start of the year.
The 10-year yield rate on the French bond (+3.43% around 6:20 p.m. versus +3.39% the day before) reached its highest level since November 2023 on Friday.
Increases in European long-term rates, in line with American rates, mean that investors are turning away from the bond market, although it is considered secure.
This movement is thus dragging the stock markets down because investors “are not going to risk buying shares”, which are even less safe, observes Mr. Chetouane.
French video game giant Ubisoft ended down 1.58%. The group, engulfed in a strategic crisis, lowered its earnings forecasts and announced a further postponement of the release of its flagship game Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Euronext CAC40
