Paris (France) (AFP) – The Paris Stock Exchange ended lower on Wednesday, weighed down by fears of a prolonged American blockade against Iran, in the middle of the corporate results season.

Published on: 04/29/2026 - 8:01 p.m.

The CAC 40 ended down 0.39%, a loss of 31.96 points, to reach 8,072.13 points. The day before, the flagship index of the Paris Stock Exchange had ended with a decline of 0.46% to 8,104.09 points.

“Sentiment deteriorates on Wednesday as markets digest a further rise in oil prices,” comments Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB, with the price of Brent, the global oil benchmark reaching $118.

Donald Trump raised the possibility of a blockade against Iran lasting "for several months" during a meeting Tuesday with oil executives, a senior White House official said Wednesday.

Crude prices had already climbed following the publication on Wednesday of an article in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) according to which the American president asked his collaborators to prepare for a prolonged blockade of Iran in order to force Tehran to capitulate on the Iranian nuclear issue.

“The concern is coming back around the Strait of Hormuz, its closure and in particular inflationary fears and obviously the problems of congestion on the oil side,” summarizes Pierre-Alexis Dumont, investment director at Sycomore.

The strategic Hormuz crossing, through which 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) transited before the conflict, remains a major issue in the conflict.

“The solidity of company results means that the stock markets have held up exceptionally well,” underlines Mr. Dumont, despite a context of strong nervousness.

A market “split in two”

In detail, "we have a stock market separated in two", notes Pierre-Alexis Dumont, with on one side "the securities which resist the high energy price, or even which rise", and on the other side "the rest, with discretionary consumption impacted by the rise in prices".

Luxury heavyweights like LVMH (-1.39% to 448.45 euros), Kering (-1.50% to 232.55 euros) and Hermès (-0.92% to 1,607.50 euros per share) ended down on Wednesday.

Only French tech did well with STMicroelectronics (+5.98% to 44.72 euros), Capgemini (+3.44% to 102.70 euros), Soitec (+14.52% to 113.10 euros) and Sopra Steria (+17.54% to 134 euros) after the publication of its results.

Airbus plane

As for Airbus, investors preferred to see the glass half full, despite contrasting results published on Wednesday (turnover of 12.65 billion euros, down 7% compared to the same period last year).

The European aircraft manufacturer still plans to deliver a record number of 870 commercial aircraft in 2026, more than the best year, in 2019, before the Covid pandemic (863 aircraft).

Its title climbed 5.13% to 174.62 euros.

© 2026 AFP

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