After an opening on the rise and back and forth, the CAC 40 index ended down 17.19 points at 6,929.63 points, experiencing its third consecutive session of decline.

Over the week, the Parisian rating posted a loss of 1.17%.

"European equity markets have continued to evolve according to news on the Ukrainian crisis" during the week and "uncertainties remain high", write experts from Edmond de Rotschild AM.

The announcement of a meeting between the head of the American diplomacy Antony Blinken and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov scheduled for next week had been seen as a positive sign by the markets on Friday until the evolution of the situation in the eastern Ukraine is considered worrying.

Stock markets had started the week down sharply, already fearing that tensions over Ukraine could escalate into armed conflict.

Apart from a respite on Tuesday after the announcement of a partial withdrawal of Russian forces deployed around Ukraine, of which Westerners are still waiting for proof, investors have opted for caution.

"In this environment, the results publication season has been relegated to the background" this week, according to Edmond de Rotschild AM who notes that "many companies have published their annual results, posting good figures but forecasting significant inflationary pressures ".

Vivendi plans to raise its offer for Lagardère

The French media giant Vivendi intends to file its takeover bid on Monday for the shares of the Lagardère group that it does not yet hold and raise its offer to 25.50 euros per share for shareholders wishing to sell their stake "immediately".

The Lagardère title climbed 4.81% to 25.30 euros while the Vivendi share fell 0.61% to 11.45 euros.

Hermès picks up, investors demanded more

Luxury group Hermès reported record sales, net profit and margin in 2021, well beyond its pre-pandemic financial results.

But investors have mainly retained the slowdown in the dynamics in the 4th quarter, in particular compared to its competitors, according to a note from Citi, quoted by the financial agency Bloomberg.

The action fell 4.14% to 1,203 euros, after losing more than 7%.

Since January 1, it has fallen more than 20%.

Recapitalization for EDF, which also falls

EDF lost 2.35% to 8.14 euros, after announcing on Friday an "action plan" to deal with its difficulties, with a capital increase project of around 2.5 billion euros and a disposal plan of 3 billion euros.

He announced a net profit multiplied by eight in 2021, to 5.1 billion euros.

© 2022 AFP