Paris (AFP)

The Paris Stock Exchange was on its guard Thursday morning (-0.31%) pending the conclusions of the monetary policy meeting of the European Central Bank and its economic forecasts.

At 09:49 (07:49 GMT), the CAC 40 index lost 15.54 points to 5.006.84 points. The day before, it ended up sharply (+ 3.36%).

"The European Central Bank should increase its pandemic emergency purchasing program (PEPP) by at least 500 billion euros in order to be able to fulfill its commitment to absorb the sovereign debt issued to make facing the coronavirus crisis in the eurozone, "said Christopher Dembik, head of economic research at Saxo Bank

A week ago, the European executive proposed a recovery plan of 750 billion euros to buy public and private bonds.

"The most important risk is that the ECB will make more timid announcements than expected, since it must be careful after the recent judgment of the German Constitutional Court," said Michael Hewson, analyst at CMC Markets .

"Some members of the Governing Council have expressed reservations that the ECB is trying to do too much, too quickly. This could mean that the ECB is taking caution in extending its current program beyond October and is waiting to see if it is necessary to commit larger amounts, "he adds.

Christine Lagarde's comments on the economic situation will be particularly monitored to learn more about the extent and duration of the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The equity markets believe that a fairly dynamic economic recovery is possible in countries where deconfinement is at work. They are also supported by the aid measures put in place by the public authorities and central banks.

In Paris, Thursday morning, Rémy Cointreau climbed 6.26% to 118.80 euros, showing confidence for the current quarter despite a 28.8% drop in net profit for its financial year offset 2019 / 2020.

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