(BFM Stock Exchange) – The Parisian index lost 0.4% this Thursday, July 24, weighed down by the fold of totalnergies and the falls of Stmicro and Dassault Systèmes. Unsurprisingly, the European Central Bank has paused in its cycle of rate drops.

Very busy day for CAC 40, which finally finished on a drop of 0.41% to 7,818.28 points, this Thursday, July 24.

Investors continued to wait for new agreements of agreements between the United States and its business partners to prevent Washington from imposing punitive customs duties from August 1.

The spokesman for the European Commission, Olof Gilles, told journalists on Thursday that an agreement between the European Union and the United States was “at hand”. The day before several media had indicated that the two parties were heading for a text limiting customs surcharge inflicted on European imports to 15%, with certain sectoral exceptions. What would be very similar to the agreement between the United States and Japan, announced earlier in the week.

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The ECB marks a break

“In the end, if a total rate of 15% including existing customs duties is agreed as suggested, this would represent only a marginal increase in relation to additional customs duties of 10% to which European Union exports have been subject to the United States since the day of the Liberation, but with certainty as to the future,” observes Deutsche Bank.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has, as anticipated by the market, maintained its guiding rates, thus marking a break in its rate of lowering its rates. Its president, Christine Lagarde, called for economic uncertainty linked to customs duties to be lifted “as soon as possible”.

“The ECB seemed in a hurry to do nothing and wait for the result of commercial negotiations,” comments Bastien Drut de CPR AM. “Despite the desire not to give an indication for the future, we can remember that the Council (of governors, note) estimates that the risks on economic prospects remain downward ordered and therefore that the ECB should lower its rates again in the year,” he dissects.

The day was mainly marked by a burst of corporate publications which has largely resulted in stock market punishment.

Stmicroelectronics unscrewed by 16.6%, after announcing a disappointing margin target for the third quarter. Dassault Systems plunged 8.4%, penalized by comments on its cash flow prospects that have seized investors.

Down total

Totalenergies, second largest CAC 40 weighting, lost 3.5% after reporting a drop in its profit in the second quarter and especially a clear rise in its net debt.

Even BNP Paribas, who beat expectations in the second quarter, struggled to progress, ending on an increase contained at 0.4% after evolved in the red.

Excluding CAC 40, several companies have bitten the dust. Eurazeo lost 13.8% after delivering a “dull” performance in the first half, according to the independent alphavalue design office. SEB abandoned 9.8% after lowering its objectives due to the impact of customs duties. Fnac Darty sold 9% after delivering results deemed hardly impressive by analysts.

On the side of the few good performance, Optility distinguished itself by taking 8% after the publication of half -yearly results appreciated by analysts, as well as Ipsos (+6.9%) which returned to growth in the second quarter.

In other markets, the euro lost 0.1% against the dollar at $ 1.176. Petroleum rises a little. The September contract on the Brent de Mer of the North advances 1.2% to $ 69.32 per barrel while the same maturity on the WTI listed in New York takes 1.4% at 66.18 Dollars per barrel.