Paris Stock Exchange: Defense and Industry Drive the CAC 40 Upward, Carrefour Drops Despite Strong Results

CAC 40 Rises, Driven by Strategic Sectors

This Wednesday at midday, the Paris Stock Exchange is showing a decidedly bullish tone. The CAC 40 is at 8,406.29 points, up 0.54%. Among the 40 values of the index, 28 are on the rise while only 12 are declining, signaling a broadly buyer-dominated session.

The day's atmosphere is clearly marked by investors' appetite for defense and industrial stocks. Persistent geopolitical tensions in Europe and recent announcements by European governments advocating for accelerated rearmament continue to fuel interest in the sector. This theme sets the pace for the Paris session, led by Thales and Safran, two heavyweights of French defense.

Thales, Safran, STMicro, and Schneider: Today's Leading Performers

Thales clearly leads the rankings at midday with a jump of 4.62%, its stock reaching 260.40 euros. The defense electronics group is benefiting from strong buying interest in a European context where military budgets are at the core of political discussions. Safran, another key player in the aerospace and defense sector, follows a similar path with an increase of 1.97% to 347.60 euros.

Beyond the defense sector, technology and industrial stocks are also performing well. STMicroelectronics gains 2.63% to 28.45 euros, while Schneider Electric advances by 2.48% to 260.65 euros. ArcelorMittal rounds out the list of top increases with a gain of 2.57% to 55.06 euros, indicating that cyclical industrials are contributing to the overall upward movement. The session reflects a marked appetite for sectors related to infrastructure, technology, and European industrial sovereignty.

Carrefour drops nearly 6%: the paradox of growth that fails to convince

At the other end of the spectrum, Carrefour shows the largest decline on the CAC 40, dropping 5.91% to 14.49 euros. Despite this, the retailer reported seemingly strong figures: a comparable growth of 2.8% in 2025, driven by France and Spain. The group also announced this morning a strategic partnership with Vusion to digitize its hypermarkets and supermarkets by 2030. However, these announcements are clearly not enough to convince the market, as the stock faces significant sell-offs.

EssilorLuxottica falls 3.99% to 233.40 euros amid a marked decline in the luxury and consumer sectors. Pernod Ricard decreases 3.78% to 81.56 euros, extending a challenging period for the spirits group. Capgemini loses 2.65% to 100.95 euros, while Hermès drops 1.64% to 2,038 euros, in a context where the company recently published the remuneration details of its managers for 2025-2026.

The contrast is striking between defense and industrial stocks buoyed by strong buying interest, and a decidedly weaker consumer-luxury segment. This mid-February session highlights a noticeable sector rotation, with investors favoring sectors tied to European public spending over those more exposed to consumer-related stocks.