The star CAC 40 index lost 16.56 points to 6,184.66 points.

The day before, it had ended up sharply by 1.79%, carried by the hope of seeing the gas supply to Europe via the Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 1 resume as planned on Thursday.

The day had however started in the green: "This morning the markets were rather optimistic, concerns about energy supplies to Europe had eased as it is assumed that Russian gas deliveries will resume tomorrow, but without assurance " , explained Ilana Azuelos-Bossard, deputy director at Kiplink Finance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin indeed wondered on Wednesday about the state of a turbine of this gas pipeline repaired in Canada, fueling uncertainty about the future of gas deliveries.

In this tense context, the European Commission has asked the Twenty-Seven to voluntarily reduce their gas demand by 15% over the next eight months and would like mandatory reductions in the event of an emergency.

At the same time, the latest statements by the head of Russian diplomacy stoke fears about the duration of the conflict: he affirmed that Russia's military objectives in Ukraine were no longer limited solely to the east of the country, but also concerned other territories" and could be further extended.

"The markets fear the appetite of the Russians and the consequences that this can have in economic terms and for the financial markets", underlines Ilana Azuelos-Bossard.

She notes that there is also “vigilance due to political tensions in Italy and on the eve of the ECB meeting”.

It is holding its monetary policy meeting on Thursday during which it is expected to announce an increase in its key rates of 0.25 to 0.50 percentage points.

Airbus lagging behind

Boeing took off against the manufacturer Airbus at the end of the second day of the Farnborough air show in the United Kingdom, multiplying commercial announcements, in particular on its star plane, the 737 MAX.

Airbus lost 1.11% to 104.66 euros.

TotalEnergies leaves Burma

After 30 years of presence, the French oil and gas group TotalEnergies confirmed on Wednesday that it has now withdrawn from Burma, six months after making the announcement, pressed by human rights NGOs after the military coup. of 2021. Its share rose 0.20% to 49.20 euros.

© 2022 AFP