The European stock markets opened higher on Friday, letting themselves be carried by the dynamics of Wall Street the day before, where the Nasdaq broke a new record, and in Asia, before new data on inflation in the euro zone.
Frankfurt set a new record by gaining 0.65%, while Paris got a little closer to 8,000 points (+0.29%).
London rose 0.60%.
The Paris Stock Exchange advances cautiously on Friday, before new data on inflation in the euro zone and on economic activity in Europe and the United States.
The star CAC 40 index advanced by 6.68 points to 7,934.11 points around 9:25 a.m., after the first exchanges of advantage in the green.
On Thursday, it fell by 0.34%, which did not prevent it from posting a strong increase (+3.54%) over the whole month of February.
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The CAC 40 blocked
Over the week, the CAC 40 remained stuck and fell 0.43%.
“Logically enough, the market needed to breathe.
But the underlying trend still remains bullish
,” estimates Christopher Dembik, investment advisor at Pictet.
So far
“recent inflation data confirms disinflation.
Although it is not as rapid as desired by the central banks, the downward trend is well anchored, and this is the essential element
,” supports Natixis analysts.
Less than a week before the next meeting of the European Central Bank, investors will learn in the morning the inflation data for the euro zone in February, after having already read the figures for France on Thursday, Germany and Spain.
In the United States, unsurprising inflation figures in January triggered a slight drop in interest rates and propelled the Nasdaq, the technology index to a new high, beating its previous record from November 2021. In addition to inflation, several data on economic activity are also expected for the euro zone and the United States throughout the session.
Read alsoVallourec turns the page on restructuring after its 2023 results
Vallourec continues its debt reduction
Saint-Gobain suffered from the new construction crisis in Europe last year, and announced declining results and turnover for 2023 after a record 2022.
The stock fell 1.52% to 70.12 euros, the worst performance on the CAC 40.
Vallourec, a cutting-edge metallurgist specializing in seamless tubes for the oil and gas industry, came out of the red in 2023 after its recovery plan and the closure of its German factories: it announced on Friday a net profit of 496 million euros for 2023 compared to a net loss of 366 million euros in 2022. The share fell 5.70% to 13.23 euros.
Valeo generated a net profit of 221 million euros in 2023, down 4% compared to 2022, while at the same time its turnover increased by 10% to 22 billion euros, according to results published Thursday.
Its operating margin also increased, in line with its objectives.
The action gained 3.24% to 11.06 euros, which did not erase its difficult start to the year on the stock market (-20.63% in 2024) like all automotive equipment manufacturers.