The star CAC 40 index lost 32.28 points to 6,244.03 points.

The day before, it had risen by 0.41%.

As expected from the markets, the European Central Bank (ECB) raised its main key rates by 0.75 points on Thursday, in order to cope with the surge in inflation in the euro zone, fueled by the consequences of the war in Ukraine.

If the “probability of a recession is much more on the horizon”, for the president of the ECB Christine Lagarde, which reinforces the markets in the idea that the next rate hikes could be less important, “there is still has a long way to go" and further increases will occur, added Ms. Lagarde.

“Very immediately after the ECB, there was a decline in the euro,” noted Christopher Dembik, director of macroeconomics research at Saxo Bank.

The euro lost 1.02% at 6:25 p.m. against the greenback, at 0.9978 dollars, oscillating around parity.

The cost of borrowing for the French State at 10 years also fell, to settle at 2.45%, against 2.75% at its highest of the day, before the communication from the ECB.

On the results side, the surprises were "often due to overly pessimistic analyst forecasts", added Christopher Dembik.

Profitable gas for TotalEnergies

The French oil group TotalEnergies announced Thursday that its profit had soared 43% in the third quarter compared to the same quarter of 2021, to 6.6 billion dollars, mainly benefiting from record gas prices, which have soared since. Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The action gained 2.95% to 54.48 euros.

Last of the line STMicroelectronics

Biggest fall in the CAC 40 of the day, STMicroelectronics lost 6.97% to 32.51 euros, some analysts fearing a slowdown in demand for chips at the end of the year in smartphones, connected objects and industry .

The Franco-Italian semiconductor group benefited in the third quarter from strong demand for its products and "favorable prices" which boosted its sales by 35% and enabled it to reach a net profit of 1, $1 billion.

Schneider badly received

The French electrical equipment and industrial automation giant Schneider Electric lost 3.41% to 128.04 euros after the publication of a sharp increase in turnover in the third quarter and the announcement of the sale of its sensor activity. industrialists for more than 700 million euros.

Carrefour and Casino boosted by inflation

High inflation in the food sector, as well as market share gains, boosted Carrefour's sales in the third quarter of 2022, encouraging it to slightly raise its cash generation target for the year on Wednesday.

The shares of the Carrefour and Casino distribution groups took respectively 2.89% to 15.84 euros and 15.72% to 10.05 euros.

© 2022 AFP