In Paris, the CAC 40 ended with a slight decline of 0.20%, closing at 8,430.79 points. This dip snapped a four-day winning streak, the longest since late November 2025, during which the Parisian index gained 3.50%.

Elsewhere in Europe, Germany's DAX 40 finished with a marginal gain of 0.08%, while the FTSE 100 in London managed to edge up 0.11%. The session served as a period of horizontal consolidation for the indices following their recent surge, which was fueled by the framework agreement reached between Iran and the United States, set to be signed this Friday in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Market caution was further heightened as investors awaited the first post-monetary policy press conference from the new Federal Reserve Chair. While there is little doubt that the Fed will leave interest rates unchanged tonight, there are concerns regarding Kevin Warsh's stance. During his Senate confirmation hearing two months ago, Jerome Powell's successor called for a "regime change." Specifically, he may move to eliminate the "dot plot." This closely watched quarterly chart shows where each FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) member believes interest rates should be at the end of each calendar year, assuming the economy evolves as expected. For investors, this represents a level of predictability that may soon vanish.

Macroeconomics and Commodities

This morning, investors digested inflation data from the Eurozone. In May, the consumer price index rose by 0.1%, matching expectations, which brought the annual inflation rate to 3.2%, also in line with forecasts.

In the United States, retail sales were notably robust, increasing by 0.9% last month, significantly outperforming the expected +0.5%. This serves as a positive signal for the American economy, which relies heavily on domestic consumption.

Furthermore, pending home sales in the U.S. surprised to the upside. In May, they surged by 3.8%, far exceeding the analyst forecast of just +0.8%. However, April's data was revised downward from +1.4% to +0.3%.

On the currency market, the euro slipped against the greenback (-0.14%), trading at $1.1593.

Regarding commodities, as European markets closed, crude oil prices saw a slight uptick after falling in recent days to return to levels seen in early March. In New York, WTI rose 0.54% to $76.98, while in London, North Sea Brent gained 0.41% to $79.70.

Corporate News

In France, Legrand and Schneider Electric supported the CAC 40 with gains of 4.54% and 2.09%, respectively. Banks also performed well, with Credit Agricole and Societe Generale advancing 1.60% and 0.86%.

Conversely, Orange recorded one of the sharpest declines on the Paris index, falling 3.26% by the close. Barclays analysts resumed coverage of the stock with an "equal weight" rating and a price target of €17, citing what they perceive as limited upside potential.

Also trading lower, EssilorLuxottica lost 4.79%. This came despite the group announcing a long-term joint development agreement with the American firm Applied Materials on Tuesday evening, aimed at accelerating the commercialization of next-generation smart optical systems for augmented reality and AI-integrated smart glasses.

Medincell posted the second-largest decline on the SBF 120, plunging 12.06% following the release of weaker annual results.

Elsewhere in Europe, BMW (-7.97%) suffered heavy but expected selling pressure following a new profit warning linked to the deteriorating Chinese market and the impact of the conflict in the Middle East. The group now targets an annual EBIT margin for its automotive segment of between 1% and 3%, down from the previous 4% to 6%. Other industry players became collateral damage amid fears of further profit warnings. Mercedes-Benz Group lost 4.33%, Volkswagen fell 3.16%, while Stellantis and Renault retreated by 3.21% and 2.12%, respectively.