FX.co ★ CAC 40 Hits Record on Luxury Rally

The CAC 40 index advanced by 0.5% to reach an unprecedented 8,290 on Friday, building upon gains from the previous day. This uptick was largely fueled by robust performances in luxury stocks and a favorable development involving BNP Paribas. L’Oréal, the prominent French beauty and luxury conglomerate, announced its acquisition of Kering’s cosmetics arm, a transaction valued at approximately €4 billion. This acquisition, L’Oréal’s largest in its recent spree of luxury brand expansions, is slated to be finalized in the first half of 2026. Consequently, shares in the luxury sector were buoyed, with L’Oréal rising by 4.0%, LVMH by 1.5%, Hermès by 2.2%, and Kering by 2.4%. Furthermore, BNP Paribas saw an increase of 3.1% following an upgrade from UBS, which shifted its rating from 'Neutral' to 'Buy' and adjusted its 12-month price forecast upwards. Other notable performers included Saint-Gobain with a 2.8% rise, Publicis climbing 2.0%, Stellantis NV up 1.9%, and TotalEnergies SE growing by 1.5%. Conversely, Bouygues experienced a 2.3% decline, marking the most significant loss, trailed by Societe Generale down 1.9%, Safran slipping 1.8%, and Vinci decreasing by 1.7%.