Paris (AFP)

The Paris Bourse was still moving in the red (-0.50%) Wednesday at midday, remaining cautious after doubts around the advances announced in the search for a vaccine against the coronavirus, and before the publication of the minutes of the Fed.

At 12:55 pm (10:55 GMT), the CAC 40 index fell by 22.21 points to 4,435.95 points, in a trading volume of 1 billion euros. The day before, it had finished down 0.89%.

The Parisian rating started down and kept this trend thereafter.

Wall Street was preparing for its part for a positive opening. The futures contract on the Dow Jones Industrial Average index gained 1.20%, that of the broad S&P 500 index rose 1.15% and that of the Nasdaq, with a strong technological coloring, of 1.11%.

"Investors have returned to more subdued optimism after the medical news site Stat News published an expert report stressing that data provided by moderna biotech on the first phase of its vaccine trials is not not sufficient to assess its effectiveness, "said in a note Franklin Pichard, CEO of Kiplink Finance.

"According to some experts, the results do not confirm the effectiveness of the molecule when only 8 people showed positive signs when the sample had 45", detailed Vincent Boy, market analyst at IG France .

The American biotechnology company, one of the most advanced in the race to find a vaccine, announced on Monday very preliminary but encouraging results, which had largely contributed to a jump in stock market indices.

As for indicators, inflation abruptly slowed in April in the United Kingdom to 0.8% over one year against 1.5% in March, largely due to the fall in energy prices and the 'essence.

In the eurozone, the slowdown in consumer prices was even more marked in April, at 0.3% over a year, than what had been announced initially (0.4%), according to figures from the European Office statistics released Wednesday.

European consumer confidence for May is also on the agenda.

Finally, after the close of the European stock markets, "investors await the evening of the minutes of the last meeting of the monetary policy committee of the Fed, which had opted for a status quo in interest rates after two meetings of consecutive emergencies, "added Mr. Pichard.

- Renault pulls the CAC 40 -

On the value front, Renault took the lead in the flagship index of the Place de Paris (+ 1.75% to 17.23 euros). The manufacturer's factory in Sandouville (Seine-maritime) will reopen Friday morning, two weeks after being forced by the courts to close due to measures deemed insufficient in the face of the Covid-19, FO and CFE-CGC said on Wednesday 'AFP.

In addition, according to Le Canard Enchaîné, the manufacturer would consider closing four sites in France as part of a plan of 2 billion savings to be unveiled on May 29. According to a source familiar with the matter, it is not Flins of a closure, but of stopping automobile production to devote the site to another activity.

Vallourec suffered on the other hand (-8.97% to 0.81 euro) from a lowering of its recommendation to "underperform" against "neutral" previously by BofA and to "sell" against "neutral" previously by Goldman Sachs.

CNP Assurances fell 6.18% to 8.50 euros, weighed down by the lowering of the outlook for the global reinsurance sector, from stable to negative, by the rating agency S&P Global Ratings.

© 2020 AFP