The flagship CAC 40 index fell 0.16% to 7,406.01 points. On Monday, it had gained 0.05%.
The Parisian rating revolved around balance for much of the session, before falling after the opening of the US markets and a disappointing consumption indicator.
Market participants are "waiting for a new story" before positioning themselves more clearly, says Samy Chaar, chief economist, Lombard Odier.
"Inflation is decreasing but remains slimy" and tenacious while "growth is falling without collapsing," he said. This makes it difficult to read the economy in the coming months, while an interest rate cut may not happen before the beginning of next year, according to him.
On growth, between a recession and a recovery, "the spectrum of possibilities is wide," says Chaar.
Today's economic indicators were disappointing, from China to the United States and Europe.
Those in China pointed to still weak demand, a sign of a choppy recovery since the lifting of strict Covid restrictions in December.
In the European Union, gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the first quarter was revised downwards to 0.2% against 0.3% in the first estimate.
Retail sales for April in the United States rose only 0.4%, against 0.8% expected by economists.
On the bond market, the 10-year French government bond rate rose to nearly 2.93%, from 2.88% on Monday at the close.
On the side of values, the share of the Casino group lost 0.22% to 6.69 euros. Thierry Blandinières, chief executive of the InVivo group, Teract's main shareholder, on the ranks to take over the French activity of Casino, said Tuesday that "a conciliator will be appointed on May 22", which will offer "better visibility" on the debt of the distributor in difficulty.
Technip Energies shares jumped 6.42% to €19.96. Qatar's gas giant, Qatar Energy, on Tuesday announced the award of a $10 billion contract to a joint venture between the French company and Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC).
The contract provides for "the construction of two trains of liquefied natural gas" (LNG) in the North Field South (NFS) field, which is, along with North Field East, a project to expand the North Field offshore field, the world's largest natural gas field that Qatar shares with Iran.
© 2023 AFP