The Paris Bourse ended the final session of the week close to equilibrium, at 7934 points (+0.09%), limiting its movements despite wide swings in certain stocks, such as Edenred (+4.5%), STMicro (+3.7%), Saint-Gobain (-3.6%) and Teleperformance (-3.1%).

Although the Paris index posted a limited weekly decline of 0.5%, it has gained more than 5% since the start of the year.

This morning, investors took note of various statistics, such as the HCOB PMI index for Eurozone manufacturing industry, produced by S&P Global, which stood at 46.5 in February, relatively stable compared with the ten-month high recorded in January (46.6).

In France, the PMI HCOB index for the manufacturing industry, produced by S&P Global, recovered from 43.1 in January to 47.1 in February, its highest level since March 2023, thus highlighting a sharp slowdown in the sector's contraction.

On the bond market, Thursday's and early morning's attempt at a rebound came to nothing, with OATs down +1Pts to 2.8830% and Bunds at a standstill at 2.400% (vs. 2.4050 the previous day).

T-Bonds, on the other hand, eased -5pts to 4.202%, and had a good week with a spread of -4pts... which can be summed up by today's improvement (taking the week from red to green).

This 'late' easing can be linked - quite logically - to the poor ISM manufacturing results and the fall in the University of Michigan's consumer confidence index.

Activity in the US manufacturing sector contracted for the 16th month in a row in February, according to the monthly survey published Friday by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), with the index falling from 49.1 in January to 47.8 in February.

US consumer confidence also deteriorated sharply in February, according to the University of Michigan's final reading of 76.9, compared with a preliminary estimate of 79.6 and 79 for the previous month.

The dollar was relatively unaffected, losing 0.25%, and the euro climbed to $1.0835.

The easing of interest rates boosted gold, on the other hand, which soared +2% to $2075, emerging as the week's big winner against a backdrop of growing geopolitical tensions.

Brent crude oil broke through $84 a barrel (+0.5%).

In French company news, at the close of the 2024 Heli-Expo in Anaheim, California, Airbus Helicopters claims 155 commitments, including 40 firm orders, from customers worldwide for a variety of its multi-mission helicopters.

Maurel & Prom reports a 3% increase in net income to $210 million, despite a 19% decline in EBITDA to $359 million, on virtually stable sales (+1%) of $682 million.

Vallourec reports EPS of 2.07 euros for 2023, compared with -1.60 euro the previous year, as well as EBITDA up 67% to nearly 1.2 billion euros, above the upper limit of its previously communicated range.


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