BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks climbed higher on Tuesday, gaining significant ground in positive territory after an extended weekend, as investors indulged in some brisk buying ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's deadline for Iran to make a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
'Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!' the U.S. President said in his Truth Social post. During a news conference on Monday, shortly after Iran rejected his proposal of a 45-day ceasefire, Trump threatened 'complete demolition' of Iranian infrastructure.
Iranian state-run media quoted the regime as saying that it is not willing to accept anything short of a permanent end to the Middle East war, which so far claimed more than 3,500 lives, including at least 1,665 civilians.
France's benchmark CAC 40, which climbed to 8,075.18 this morning, was up 71.97 points or 0.9% at 8,034.36 a few minutes past noon.
STMicroelectronics jumped nearly 6.5%. Publicis Groupe gained 3.9% and Saint Gobain moved up 3.4%. ArcelorMittal, Societe Generale, Hermes International, Capgemini and Credit Agricole gained 2%-2.7%.
LVMH, BNP Paribas, Danone, Pernod Ricard, EssilorLuxottica, Bureau Veritas, Vinci, Legrand, AXA, Unibail Rodamco, Michelin, Euronext, Air Liquide, Dassault Systemes, Euronext, Bouygues and L'Oceal advanced 1%-1.8%.
In economic news, the S&P Global France Composite PMI came in at 48.8 in March, revised higher from the preliminary 48.3 but down from 49.9 in February, signaling the fastest contraction in private sector activity since October.
The S&P Global France Services PMI fell to 48.8 in March 2026, revised upward from the initial estimate of 48.3 but down from 49.6 in February, indicating a deeper contraction in the services sector.
The S&P Global Eurozone Composite PMI was revised up slightly to 50.7 in March 2026 (from a flash estimate of 50.5), but remained below February's 51.9, signaling the weakest private-sector expansion since June 2025.
The S&P Global Eurozone Services PMI eased to 50.2 in March 2026 from 51.9 in February and close to the preliminary 50.1 estimate, marking the weakest performance since May last year.
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