French stock markets experienced a slight surge on Thursday following confirmation that France's payroll employment remained steady in the fourth quarter, as initially projected. The payroll employment showed no quarter-on-quarter change after seeing a 0.2 percent rise in the previous quarter, according to the final data from INSEE, the national statistical office.
The net employment growth for the fourth quarter was consistent with the estimate released on February 7, showing a creation of 11,900 jobs in contrast with an increase of 60,800 jobs in the period prior. Consequently, the benchmark CAC 40 saw a rise of 20 points or 0.3 percent, reaching 7,974, after closing slightly higher the day before.
In corporate news, despite a slight downturn, Veolia Environnement forecasted higher profits for the current year, supported by a robust demand and a boost in dividend. On the other hand, Getlink saw a 5.4 percent jump in its shares after announcing a year-on-year growth in its FY23 profit and revenue. However, Air France-KLM's stocks plummeted by 8 percent following the company's slide into loss territory in Q4.
