Paris (France) (AFP) – The Paris Stock Exchange fell sharply on Thursday, weighed down by a new surge in oil prices, to the highest since 2022, and the decline of Stellantis and its banking groups, after a slew of company results.

Published on: 04/30/2026 - 10:21

Around 10:00 a.m. (Paris time), the CAC 40 fell 1.12% to 7,981.94 points, down 90.19 points. The day before, the flagship Parisian index had ended down 0.39%.

“Uncertainty is rising” while “oil prices are rising again, reaching new heights,” summarizes Andreas Lipkow, analyst for CMC Markets.

Brent, the global oil benchmark, is moving around its highest level since the start of the conflict in the Middle East two months ago: it exceeded 126 dollars overnight, a peak since the beginning of 2022, when the invasion of Ukraine caused a surge in prices.

Around 10:00 a.m., the pressure eased somewhat, but prices remained at a very high level. Brent, the European benchmark, climbed 3.40% to $122.04 per barrel, and its American equivalent, WTI, gained 1.50% to $108.48 per barrel.

This “soaring oil price revives inflationary fears”, estimates John Plassard, of the private bank Cité Gestion.

The interest rate on French debt maturing ten years remained stable, at historically high levels. It reached 3.77% at 10:00 a.m., the same level as the day before.

In this context, investors will be particularly attentive on Thursday to the monetary policy meeting of the European Central Bank, and to the speech of its president Christine Lagarde, who should provide comments on the risks of inflation in the euro zone.

A rate hike is not expected by analysts.

This news has even “eclipsed the solid results of American technology giants”, noted John Plassard.

Several big names in tech, namely Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta, presented their first quarter publications, in a context of renewed doubt about investments in artificial intelligence in recent days on the markets.

Another major point of interest for investors: the corporate results season which is in full swing on the Paris market.

Banks are suffering, Crédit Agricole loses more than 5%

French banking groups lost ground after their results.

BNP Paribas lost 4.33% to 86.58 euros, after "mixed" results, according to Jefferies analysts, despite a record net profit of 3.2 billion euros, up 9%.

Société Générale lost 4.99% to 67.45 euros, after an increase in its net profit of 5.5% to 1.7 billion euros, after "disappointing" results for its investment bank, particularly in income "linked to interest rates", again according to Jefferies.

Crédit Agricole for its part lost 6.18% to 16.16 euros. The listed entity of the Crédit Agricole S.A. group (Casa) posted a profit of 1.67 billion euros (+1.8% over one year), compared to 1.71 billion euros anticipated by the consensus of analysts cited by Bloomberg.

Technip Energies penalized by the war

The Technip Energies group lost 8.93% to 36.72 euros, after announcing on Thursday a drop of almost 18% in its net profit in the first quarter, penalized by the consequences of the war in the Middle East on its construction sites.

Michelin weighed down, Capgemini praised

The French tire manufacturer Michelin (-2.41% to 30.40 euros) recorded sales in the first quarter down 5.4% to 6.2 billion euros, a decline which it attributes to currency effects, according to its results published Wednesday evening.

The French IT giant Capgemini (+1.85% to 104.60 euros) saw its sales accelerate in the first quarter, despite an unfavorable exchange rate effect, according to a press release published Thursday.

© 2026 AFP

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