Paris (AFP)

The Paris Bourse yielded 0.55% Tuesday at midday, sinking into the red after having changed color several times during the morning, turned towards the US senatorial elections in Georgia.

The CAC 40 index lost 30.55 points to 5,558.41 points shortly after 12.50 p.m. (11.50 a.m. GMT).

The day before, it had risen 0.68%.

As on Monday, London performed better than the continental European places, gaining 0.03%.

Frankfurt dropped 0.35% and Milan 0.15%.

US markets were upbeat after slipping in the first session of the year.

Futures for the three major indices, the Dow Jones, S & P500 and Nasdaq, were up about 0.15%.

"Investors are suspended from the decisive election in Georgia," which must award the last two seats in the Senate, explains Franklin Pichard, managing director of Kiplink Finance.

A double Democratic victory would change the majority in the Senate, giving future President Joe Biden a little more leeway to implement his program.

"A Democratic victory could constitute a pretext for a short-term consolidation on the markets after the post-electoral rally", details Mr. Pichard.

Investors were counting on the Senate to temper the Democratic program, especially on taxation or the regulation of certain sectors such as technology.

The health situation also remains a concern, with tougher confinements again introduced in Scotland and England.

Pending the impact of vaccination campaigns, other countries could quickly follow the same path, such as Germany from Tuesday.

Next is back in fashion

The clothing chain resisted at the end of the year thanks to its online sales and despite the forced closure of stores, and the title jumped 6.31% to 7,348 pence.

It even forecasts a strong rebound in profits for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, which would allow it to almost return to its pre-pandemic levels.

Oil companies advance while waiting for OPEC +

In London, oil companies were still benefiting from the firmness of crude oil prices despite ongoing discussions within OPEC + to decide on February production levels.

BP gained 2.44% to 261 pence and Royal Dutch Shell ("B" share) 2.96% to 1,341 pence.

Unibail bounces back

After losing more than 5% on Monday, Unibail-Rodamco Westfield offered the best performance of the CAC 40, rising 3.46% to 63.32 euros.

© 2021 AFP