CAC 40 Up 0.52% As Market Awaits U.S. Jobs Report

(RTTNews) - French stocks turned in a mixed performance on Friday with investors assessing geopolitical news and continuing to react to recent quarterly earnings updates, while looking ahead to the crucial U.S. non-farm payroll data for clues about Federal Reserve's interest rate moves.

The benchmark CAC 40, moving in a tight band, was up 45.44 points or 0.52% at 8,745.15 about an hour past noon.

Pernod Ricard climbed more than 2.5%. Dassault Systemes gained nearly 2%, while STMicroelectronics and Airbus moved up 1.5% and 1.3%, respectively.

AXA, EssilorLuxottica, Schneider Electric, Capgemini, Euronext, Safran, Eurofins Scientific, Sanofi, Publicis Groupe, Kering and ArcelorMittal also edged higher.

Stellantis shed about 3%. Eiffage drifted down 1.6% and Bouygues eased by about 1%. Vinci, Carrefour, Orange, Veolia Environment and TotalEnergies also showed weakness.

In economic news, data from INSEE showed the unemployment rate in France rose to 8.3% in the second quarter of 2026 from 8.1% in the previous quarter. The unemployment rate was expected to come in at 8.2%. It was the highest level since the third quarter of 2020.

France's trade deficit narrowed to €5.8 billion in June 2026 from €7.9 billion in May, smaller than the expected €6.5 billion, as exports rose while imports declined. Exports rose 2.6% month-on-month to €54.5 billion, while imports fell 0.9% to €60.4 billion.