French equities ended higher on Friday, with the CAC 40 rising 0.98% to close at 8,450.23. The SBF 120 index advanced 0.90%, as advancing stocks outnumbered decliners 250 to 209 on the Paris Bourse, while 98 issues were unchanged.
The CAC 40's 18.96 reading on its volatility index remained flat at a 52-week high. Sector performance was led by consumer goods, basic materials and utilities, while energy and healthcare lagged.
Among top gainers in the CAC 40, Renault SA climbed 3.63% to 29.43, EssilorLuxottica SA added 2.44% to 161.35 and LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE rose 2.40% to 458.15. The index's laggards included Pernod Ricard SA, which fell 2.02% to 63.20, Eurofins Scientific SE down 0.88% to 72.36 and Thales declining 0.81% to 244.70.
In the SBF 120, Forvia led gains with a 5.12% advance to 9.04, followed by Lectra SA up 4.29% to 23.10 and ID Logistics SAS rising 4.00% to 338.00. Decliners included Ipsen SA down 3.61% to 163.10, Soitec SA falling 2.26% to 108.00 and Aeroports de Paris SA dropping 2.06% to 109.20.
Commodities retreated as gold futures for December delivery fell 2.11% to $4,565.69 per troy ounce. Crude oil prices also declined, with October WTI down 0.61% to $83.02 per barrel and November Brent falling 0.64% to $87.95 per barrel. The euro weakened 0.49% against the dollar to trade at 1.16, while the U.S. Dollar Index slipped 0.45% to 99.54. The euro-pound cross held steady at 0.86.
