BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks are turning in a mixed performance Tuesday morning with investors making cautious moves, focusing on news from the Middle East where tensions continue to run high despite U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to postpone potential strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure for five days.
Higher oil prices and weak regional PMI data weigh as well on investor sentiment.
Brent crude futures climbed above $104 a barrel today before easing a bit to around $102, still notably up from previous close, amid reports of huge explosions in Tehran and other cities. Iran has denied it held talks with the U.S. to end the war.
Iran's foreign ministry said Trump's remarks were 'part of efforts to reduce energy prices and buy time' for military plans.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the country is continuing strikes against Iran and Lebanon continue without pause.
The benchmark CAC 40, which dropped to 7,681.79 after advancing to 7,773.63, was down 9.81 points or 0.12% at 7,716.37 a few minutes ago.
Kering, L'Oreal, Publicis Groupe and Euronext gained 1.5%-1.7%. Air Liquide climbed 1.3%, while Eiffage and Carrefour advanced 1%-1.1%.
Accor, Unibail Rodamco, TotalEnergies, Orange, Stellantis, Eurofins Scientific, Sanofi, Engie and Veolia Environment posted modest gains.
STMicroelectronics, Airbus, Schneider Electric and Dassault Systemes lost 1.2%-1.6%. Safran, Saint-Gobain, Societe Generale, Renautl, EssilorLuxottica, Capemini, BNP Paribas and Hermes International drifted down 0.5%-0.9%.
Data from S&P Global showed the S&P Global France Composite PMI fell to 48.3 in March from 49.9 in February, worse than market forecasts of 49.3, according to flash estimates.
The services sector PMI dropped to a five-month low of 48.3 in March from 49.6 in February, while manufacturing output contracted for the first time this year, coming in with a reading of 48.5 for March, sharply down from February's 51.6.
The S&P Global Eurozone Composite PMI declined to 50.5 in March, down from 51.9 in February and below market expectations of 51.0, according to preliminary data.
The S&P Global Eurozone Manufacturing PMI rose to 51.4 in March 2026 from 50.8 in February, better than forecasts of 49.4, flash estimates showed. The S&P Global Flash Eurozone Services PMI fell to 50.1 in March 2026 from 51.9 in February, below forecasts of 51.1.
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