Paris (AFP)
The Paris Bourse ended up sharply on Friday (+ 0.82%), closing for the first time this year above 6,000 points for what should be one of the last lively sessions of the year.
The CAC 40 index gained 49.25 points to 6,021.53 points, in a sustained trade volume of 7.2 billion euros. The day before, it had ended up slightly by 0.21%.
Over the past week, the index has advanced 1.85%. Since the beginning of the year, its gains amount to 27.29%.
The Paris coast opened close to break even before accelerating in the middle of the day to settle above 6,000 points.
The CAC 40 thus signs its highest of the year at the close, as in session (6,024.17 points), levels never seen since July 2007.
"It's a somewhat special day with contract deadlines that explain this increase. There was no big catalyst otherwise", explains Alexandre Baradez, analyst at IG France.
It was the last session called "four witches" in 2019, that is to say the concomitant expiration of several types of contracts and options on indices and stocks.
"The bulk of the year has passed," confirms Mr. Baradez, since we expect relatively little geopolitical development by the end of the year, or major indicators.
The news from across the Channel has bolstered the good mood of the markets as the new conservative majority has supported Boris Johnson's Brexit deal, paving the way for a UK exit from the EU.
"Everything that goes in the direction of better political visibility, towards less vagueness, still pleases the markets, even if we do not know what 2020 will be made of," said Mr. Baradez.
© 2019 AFP