Paris (AFP)

The Paris Bourse ended almost stable (-0.07%) on Thursday, investors remaining cautious despite good indicators and good results from companies that had helped it grow by more than 0.50% in the first part of the session .

The flagship CAC 40 index lost 4.41 points to 6,302.57 points.

It even reached 6.352.36 points in session, a highest since September 20, 2000. Wednesday it ended up 0.53%.

"At the opening, the CAC 40 was at a level dating from November 8, 2000, it had gone back 20 years", continues Lara Nguyen, expert in financial markets, who is surprised to see the session end flat , despite a priori good catalysts.

"Important statistics have been published and could have pushed the US market forward in a larger proportion, but again the increase is moderate," she continues.

In particular, US growth which is accelerating and reaching 6.4% in the first quarter, better than expected.

But inflation also accelerated in the United States to 3.5% over one year in the first quarter, against 1.5% in the fourth quarter of 2020. Ditto in Germany where the price increase in April stood at 2.0% year on year, highest since April 2019.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron has detailed a deconfinement plan, spread over two months from May 3, which includes the reopening of public places, the easing of the curfew or the participation in events of more than 1,000 people with a health pass.

Finally, "today's session was sluggish, investors have anticipated so much that now they are only doing what had been anticipated," explains Lara Nguyen.

Earlier the Paris Bourse rose by more than 0.50%, reassured by the decision of the Monetary Committee of the American central bank (FOMC), which leaves its key interest rates close to zero unchanged and continues its asset purchases, without giving any clues as to when it might start reducing them.

The results of companies had also carried the index, as much across the Atlantic with Apple and Facebook, as in Europe, many heavyweights having exceeded expectations.

On the aeronautical side, the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus gained 0.70% to 100.00 euros after posting a net profit of 362 million euros in the first quarter, against a net loss a year earlier.

The automobile suffers

Valeo fell (-4.27% to 27.12 euros), without benefiting from a turnover up 8% in the first quarter, approaching its performance at the beginning of 2019.

Faurecia lost 4.68% to 46.00 euros, Renault 4.19% to 34.64 euros, Plastic Omnium 3.93% to 28.36 euros and Stellantis 3.97% to 13.84 euros.

Lagardère at the tail of the SBF 120

The Lagardère group fell 4.98% to 22.50 euros the day after a supervisory board which approved a project to transform into a public limited company with the approval of the main shareholders, putting an end to a long standoff over corporate governance.

TF1 perked up

TFI jumped 3.70% to 8.41 euros, driven by net profit up 42.9% in the first quarter of 2021.

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