The Paris Stock Exchange experienced a slight increase on Friday morning, the last session of the year, with no major economic events scheduled and the futures contract of the CAC 40 index rising by 0.44% at 10:10am and ending at 7568.45 points after a modest increase of +0.16%. This year has been a successful one for the Parisian stock exchange, with a 16.4% increase over the year, despite being a particularly quiet period between Christmas and New Year due to the absence of many investors. The situation at Wall Street has also been quiet, with “negative growth surprises” resulting in a decline in the US ten-year bond yields to 3.85% (9:10 am GMT) and the French ten-year bond rate also slightly rising to 2.47% on Thursday.

The market for the CAC 40 is dynamic compared to global markets, except for China, with the year seeing both companies in distress and great shape. The Alstom group, facing commercial and financial difficulties, lost over 46% of its stock value over the year. On the other hand, Stellantis, the automotive group formed from the merger of Peugeot-Citroën (PSA) and Fiat-Chrysler (FCA), had a prosperous year. With fourteen brands, the company posted a record net profit of 10.9 billion euros in the first half (+37% year-on-year), with a strong operating margin of 14.4%, leading to a stock surge by more than 60% over the year.