Paris (AFP)

The Paris Bourse fell 0.39% in mid-session Friday, affected by the decline on Wall Street the day before amid a further rise in interest rates, and before the publication of a report on US employment during the day.

Around 12:30 p.m., the Parisian index lost 22.71 points to 5,807.94 points.

Strong tension arose again on Thursday on the yield on ten-year US Treasuries, which closed a year-high at 1.56%.

Investors did not find reassuring a speech by the boss of the American Central Bank Jerome Powell, which swept away inflationary fears.

Worried, Wall Street fell at the close on Thursday and futures on Friday showed a slightly lower opening.

Bond interest rates in the euro zone rose slightly at the same time.

"Some investors expected the Fed to increase its bond purchases in order to lower long-term interest rates," said Franklin Pichard, managing director of Kiplink Finance.

Despite the general feeling of concern, the situation is far from alarmist for the time being, both on interest rates, still at historically very low levels, and on recent stock market declines.

The CAC 40 index has remained up 4.6% since the start of the year and Wall Street has been broadly stable since January 1, except for the Nasdaq index which loses 1.28% after an increase of 43% in 2020 .

Traditionally monitored, especially since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the US monthly employment report could give the market a whole new direction in the afternoon.

Among the other indicators of the day, the French trade deficit was stable at 3.7 billion euros in January, the lowest since June 2016.

The heckled techs

Worldline lost 0.42% to 70.72 euros, STMicroelectronics 0.44% to 29.12 euros, Dassault Systèmes 0.64% to 170.00 euros.

Tech stocks retreated in the wake of the plunge Thursday of the Nasdaq index with strong technological coloring.

Profit reduction for Dassault Aviation

The aircraft manufacturer (-0.95% to 938.00 euros) saw its net profit plummet by 57% in 2020, to 303 million euros, under the effect of the Covid-19 crisis that hit its business of business aviation and smaller deliveries of Rafale fighter jets.

Suez smiles at Veolia

The group (+ 0.14% to 17.62 euros) scored a point Thursday in its legal war with Veolia (+ 0.90% to 22.48 euros), in a file concerning a legal arrangement intended to thwart the project of its great rival to redeem it.

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