French stocks are experiencing a mixed performance in somewhat subdued trading on Monday morning. After an early rally, gains were pared as investors evaluated the potential effects of impending tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
President Trump declared intentions to implement a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, with further tariffs expected to be confirmed on Tuesday or Wednesday. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has reportedly stressed that the European Union is ready to respond "within an hour" should the U.S. proceed with tariffs on European products.
In the absence of new economic data from the region, investors appear largely cautious, avoiding major investment decisions.
Sentiment is buoyed by the anticipation of continued monetary easing from the European Central Bank (ECB). Boris Vujcic, a member of the ECB Governing Council, conveyed that forecasts for three additional rate cuts this year are seen as credible.
The benchmark CAC 40, which reached 8,003.27 in early trading, has stabilized around 7,973.33 recently.
Among gainers, Teleperformance has risen more than 1.5%. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Schneider Electric and Edenred have increased between 1.2% and 1.4%.
Meanwhile, Vivendi, Orange, Accor, Capgemini, Legrand, Eurofins Scientific, Hermès International, Sanofi, EssilorLuxottica, and BNP Paribas have made gains between 0.4% and 0.9%.
Conversely, ArcelorMittal has dropped approximately 2.5%. Vinci is down by 1.6%, with Saint Gobain, Pernod Ricard, Société Générale, Danone, Publicis Groupe, Dassault Systèmes, and Veolia Environnement also trading lower.
