(BFM Stock Exchange) – The Paris Stock Exchange completes this week rich in publications of increasing companies, towed by Air Liquide. In weekly rhythm, the assessment is however duller with a CAC 40 which retrocesses almost 0.3%, ending a good series of six positive weeks.

The Paris Stock Exchange did not give in to profits to finish the week. The CAC 40 won 0.39% to finish its race at 8,154.51 points this Friday, February 21. The Parisian index was supported by Air Liquide which unveiled prospects that convinced the operators.

However, the CAC 40 loses 0.29% in weekly rhythm. The 1.17% drop on Wednesday prevented the star index from chaining a positive seventh week.

In Wall Street, the mood is much more sullen, investors have reacted negatively to a series of disappointing economic indicators. Growth in the US private sector has once again slowed down in February. The composite PMI index, which brings together manufacturing production and services, emerged to 50.4, after 52.7 points in January, bringing it closer to the threshold of the 50 points, which marks the border between an expansion and a contraction of the ‘activity.

Also, consumer morale deteriorated significantly in February. The confidence index of the University of Michigan clearly bent at 64.7 this month, against 71.7 in January. At the end of European markets, the Dow Jones folds up by 0.80%, the S&P 500 yields 0.5%when the NASDAQ drops by 0.7%.

Investors also continued to monitor the evolution of the Ukrainian file. “The latest remarks of the American president of attacker Volodymyr Zelensky seem to have definitively closed the door to a ‘fair’ peace agreement and ordered in Ukraine,” comments Sebastian Paris Horvitz de LBPAM.

Note that the Dax in Frankfurt fell 0.12%, the operators opting for caution before the legislative elections which will be held in Germany on Sunday.

Liquid air at the top of the CAC 40

In terms of values, the Parisian index was therefore supported by Air Liquid’s summits, the sixth most important company in CAC 40 (in terms of floating capitalization, at the end of December).

The industrial gas specialist won 3.25% after announcing wanting to increase his current operating margin by 2 percentage points in 2025-2026.

Conversely, Airbus dropped 3.1%, penalized by Jefferies who lowered his advice to “keep” against “buy” previously.

Excluding CAC 40, GTT displays the highest increase in the SBF 120 index. The membranes specialist for the transport of liquefied gases jumped 15.9% after having delivered highlights up for 2024 and a forecast of gross operating profit significantly above expectations for 2025.

Alten is not to be outdone and signed an increase of 10.40%, the markets appreciated the resilience of the company in the year 2024.

Tarkett resumed 17% while its reference shareholders announced a public withdrawal offer.

In other markets, the euro returns 0.45% against the dollar at 1.0453 dollars. Oil is abandoning land, the market anticipating the levy of American sanctions against Russia. The April contract on the Brent de Mer northern drops $ 1.9% to $ 75.01 a barrel, while the same maturity on the WTI listed in New York folds from $ 71.01 per barrel.