French stocks declined on Monday, influenced by escalating concerns in the Middle East and anticipation of comments from ECB President Christine Lagarde and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell regarding future interest rate directions.
The CAC 40 index decreased by 107 points, equivalent to a 1.4% loss, settling at 7,684. This follows a 0.6% gain observed on Friday.
Despite increasing expectations that the ECB may speed up its interest rate cuts, government bond yields moved slightly higher.
Stocks linked to China experienced declines in response to data revealing that China's manufacturing activity contracted for the fifth consecutive month, and the services sector saw a marked slowdown in September. This negative sentiment counteracted investor optimism spurred by Beijing's significant stimulus measures.
Among notable stocks, LVMH fell by 1%, while Kering declined by 2%.
