Paris (AFP)

The Paris Bourse fell slightly at midday on Wednesday (-0.14%), investors were cautious before learning about the content of the trade agreement between the United States and China.

At 1:25 p.m. (12:25 GMT), the CAC 40 index crumbled from 8.35 points to 6,032.54 points in a trading volume of 950 million euros. The day before, it had already finished without trend (+ 0.08%).

After a break-even start, the Parisian rating has changed little.

Wall Street was also preparing to open without trends. The futures contract on the Dow Jones Industrial Average index was stable (-0.08%) as was that of the broad S&P 500 index (-0.04%) and that of the Nasdaq, with a strong technological coloring (- 0.02%).

US President Donald Trump is due to initial Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. local time (4.30 p.m. GMT), in the presence of Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Liu He, an agreement synonymous with a truce in the trade war with Beijing.

"Investors seem to be content not to take a position until the deal becomes official," said David Madden, an analyst at CMC Markets.

"Details of the deal are expected to be released later, so meanwhile volatility is expected to remain low," he added.

The Trump administration said on Tuesday that the United States will maintain the tariffs currently in place on imports from China in the future.

"It is nothing other than a cease-fire, certainly not the final resolution of all disputes between the two countries," said in a note Tangi Le Liboux, a strategist for broker Aurel BGC.

The conflict, which materialized in reciprocal punitive tariffs, started in the spring of 2018 to end Chinese business practices deemed "unfair".

In this context, the indicators moved into the background.

Overwhelmed by the impact of trade tensions on its industry, Germany saw its economic growth slow significantly last year, to 0.6%, announced the Federal Office of Statistics.

In France, inflation accelerated in December, supported by a sharp rebound in energy prices, according to final figures from INSEE.

On the other hand, it slowed down significantly in the same month in the United Kingdom.

The market has yet to take note of the manufacturing activity index for the New York region (Empire State).

- Altran benefits from the new Capgemini offer -

On the value front, Altran Technologies rose 2.67% to 14.42 euros for its resumption of trading. The title had been suspended the day before at the request of the AMF after Capgemini (+ 0.74% to 115.10 euros) raised its purchase price on Altran at the last minute.

PSA fell by 1.66% to 20.16 euros. The automaker has appointed new managers to head its Citroën and DS brands, which will notably be responsible for speeding up international sales.

Safran (+ 1.27% to 139.35 euros) and Eurazeo (+ 4.07% to 61.30 euros) benefited from an increase in their recommendation to "buy" against "neutral" previously by Goldman Sachs.

ADP sold 0.56% to 176.90 euros. Traffic at Paris airports recorded a 2.5% increase in 2019 to reach a total of 108 million passengers, although it was affected in December by strikes.

PSB Industries fell by 4.04% to 19.00 euros, penalized by the deterioration of its activity which worsened at the end of the year.

GL Events took 1.06% to 23.90 euros, on the strength of an activity which jumped during the past financial year, thanks to an excellent fourth quarter.

Thermador took advantage (+ 2.33% to 52.80 euros) of a rate still sustained at the end of the year, after a third quarter already considered "exceptional" in certain activities.

© 2020 AFP