Air Liquide's Stock Climbs 2% and Ranks Among Top Three in CAC 40
The industrial gas giant rebounded strongly in Wednesday's closing, benefiting from a favorable session in the Paris market. The stock is back in the spotlight after several weeks of consolidation, even as technical indicators lag behind. The rise occurs in a Parisian market trending upward but marked by clear sectoral dispersion.
A Rebound Session in a Strongly Upward-Trending CAC 40
Air Liquide's stock rose 1.99% to €169.76, up from a previous close of €166.44. Thus, it ranks among the top gainers in the CAC 40, which ended the session up by 0.54% at 8,385.49 points. The day's momentum benefited several defensive and industrial stocks, with Saint-Gobain leading the index with a gain of 3.26%, ahead of Danone and L'Oréal.
Conversely, ArcelorMittal, Euronext, and TotalEnergies posted the largest declines. The VIX index relaxed to 18.45, down 5.34% from the previous day, indicating a calming volatility after several sessions impacted by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Over recent weeks, the stock has maintained a positive dynamic with a gain of 12.79% over three months and 3.52% over one month, reflecting a solid underlying trajectory even though the weekly performance remains modest (+1.42% over seven days).
Moving Averages Still Above the Price Despite Today's Rebound
Today's rebound was insufficient to reposition the stock above its short and medium-term technical benchmarks. The price remains below the 20-day moving average (MM20) at €172.04 (-1.33%) and the 50-day moving average (MM50) at €177.62 (-4.43%), while it hovers just below the 200-day moving average (MM200) at €170.67 (-0.53%). The RSI at 40 indicates a still cautious configuration, with no clear overbought or oversold signals.
The identified technical support at €164.16 was not threatened during the session, as the stock moved away from this zone thanks to the rebound. On the activity front, the group has made several announcements in recent weeks, including on June 17, a major contract in Spain for home care of 90,000 respiratory patients, and in early June, an agreement with SK hynix to supply nitrogen to a HBM chip factory in South Korea. To confirm the rebound, the next technical threshold to cross remains the MM20 at €172.04.
