TotalEnergies Boosts CAC 40 with Oil Gains, While Air Liquide Plummets

Cautious European Market, Paris Caught Between Two Currents

The Paris Stock Exchange is in the green by midday, but gains remain modest. Across the 40 stocks in the index, 25 are up, 14 are down, and only one is stable, illustrating a session where sector dynamics take precedence over a clear directional trend.

The rest of Europe shows a similar profile. The DAX is up 0.09% during the session, while London's FTSE 100 gains 0.40%. The pan-European Stoxx 600 is nearly stable (+0.03%). In Asia, the session was more challenging: the Nikkei 225 closed down 1.02% and the Hang Seng lost 0.95%. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 finished yesterday with a slight increase of 0.12%, while the Dow Jones fell 0.13%.

The persistent blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the breakdown of diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran continue to weigh on overall sentiment. The standoff between the two capitals— with the U.S. demanding a nuclear precondition that Iran refuses— fuels a geopolitical risk that markets are now factoring in over the long term, notably through energy prices.

TotalEnergies Leads CAC 40, STMicroelectronics and BNP Paribas Well Positioned

TotalEnergies clearly leads the CAC 40 rankings with a 2.84% increase, reaching 78.99 euros. The oil group benefits directly from the high crude price environment, as Brent remains anchored above $107 due to the Strait of Hormuz disruption. Oil markets have been operating under supply constraints for several weeks, a favorable setting for major integrated producers.

Recording the second highest increase of the day, STMicroelectronics advances 1.49% to 43.01 euros. The Franco-Italian semiconductor manufacturer benefits from dual support: Berenberg raised its price target to 53 euros with a buy recommendation, while Goldman Sachs adjusted its target to 42 euros. Additionally, the company unveiled a new generation of image sensors that are ten times more energy efficient, designed for portable devices and connected objects.

Carrefour climbs 1.37% to 16.69 euros. BNP Paribas rises 1.34% to 91.37 euros, as the ECB raised its CET1 capital requirements by 50 basis points for the bank, bringing the O-SII buffer to 2.0%. Intesa Sanpaolo, meanwhile, raised its price target to 111 euros. Saint-Gobain rounds out the top five gains (+1.29% to 78.36 euros) following an upgrade by RBC Capital to « outperform, » with a target set at 95 euros.

Air Liquide falls sharply, Capgemini and Dassault Systèmes under pressure

The most notable decline of the morning is that of Air Liquide, which drops 4.48% to 179.22 euros, by far the biggest drop in the CAC 40. A decline of this magnitude significantly impacts the index and limits the overall progress of the Paris market.

In the technology sector, Capgemini falls 1.59% to 99.98 euros and Dassault Systèmes loses 1.58% to 19.05 euros. For the latter, Citi has set a target price of 20 euros with a neutral opinion, while AlphaValue maintains a « reduce » recommendation with a target raised to 19.60 euros.

Accor declines 1.19% to 42.38 euros despite an outperform recommendation from Bernstein (although with a target lowered to 55 euros) and a neutral opinion from Goldman Sachs with a target of 47 euros. Eurofins Scientific falls 0.66% to 60.42 euros, at the end of the index.

By mid-session, the Paris stock exchange is thus pulled between energy stocks, buoyed by a tense geopolitical context, and marked profit-taking on some of the major stocks. The slight gain in the CAC 40 masks significant disparities between sectors.