FX.co ★ CAC 40 slips as bank rally offsets construction slump

On Tuesday, the CAC 40 index saw a slight decline of 0.2%, settling at 8,330, as it pulled back from its recent record highs. The market's attention was focused on an upcoming U.S. inflation report anticipated to reveal an uptick in consumer prices for December. The dip in the index was primarily driven by losses in the construction and infrastructure sectors, overshadowing the gains recorded by banking stocks. Vinci experienced the most significant drop, losing 3.2%, followed by Saint-Gobain, which slipped 2.4%, and Bouygues, which decreased by 1.4% amid its announcement to reorganize its construction operations into a new "Construction Division" anticipated to achieve over €27 billion in revenue. Conversely, Airbus shares edged up by 0.6% after disclosing the delivery of 793 commercial aircraft to 91 clients and securing 1,000 new gross orders projected for 2025. The banking sector provided a boost: Crédit Agricole rose by 0.7% following the European Central Bank's approval for increasing its stake in Banco BPM to over 20%, alongside converting a 0.3% derivative position into physical shares. Société Générale advanced by 1.3%, while BNP Paribas saw a rise of 0.7%.