Paris (France) (AFP) – The Paris Stock Exchange once again ended down on Friday, at the end of a week marked by the surge in the price of hydrocarbons and the return of inflationary risk with the war in the Middle East.
Published on: 06/03/2026 - 18:59
The flagship CAC 40 index, which had started the session slightly higher, finally fell by 0.65% (-52.31 points) to 7,993.49 points, falling below the threshold of 8,000 points for the first time since November.
Over the week, the CAC 40 fell by 6.84%, after five roller coaster days for the world stock markets.
The equity markets are digesting "a geopolitical risk premium which is being confirmed", summarizes Andrea Tueni, head of market activities at Saxo Bank, interviewed by AFP.
On the seventh day of the war launched against Iran by Israel and the United States, Donald Trump demanded a “surrender” from Iran. “There will be no agreement with Iran, only UNCONDITIONAL CAPITULATION!” he wrote on Friday on his Truth Social network.
The American president has thus "swept away the hopes of mediation to end the war in the Middle East", underlines Kathleen Brooks, director of research at XTB. “This dashed hopes for a quick resolution to the conflict.”
The surge in black gold prices has resumed with a vengeance, propelling the two global crude oil benchmarks above the symbolic threshold of $90. A first in almost two years for Brent, and since October 2023 for American WTI, which then fell slightly.
“A geopolitically turbulent weekend is ahead, and the desire to buy stocks is very weak. No one wants to catch a falling knife at the moment, especially as the price of oil continues to accelerate and the symbolic mark of 100 dollars is getting close,” notes Jochen Stanzl, at CMC Markets.
Oil and defense in the green
Energy and defense sector stocks remained in the green, benefiting from the geopolitical context.
“These are the only sectors that can do well during these periods” of war, notes Andrea Tueni.
TotalEnergies ended up 1.84% at 68 euros. On the defense side, Thales gained 2.07% to 241.30 euros, the largest increase in the CAC 40 index on Friday, Safran gained 0.44% to 317.70 euros and Dassault Systèmes 0.46% to 18.74 euros.
© 2026 AFP
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