For the last session in March, the CAC 40 offered an increase, the second in a row and increased by 0.57%, to 7,816.94 points. However, over the month as a whole, the Paris Stock Exchange lost 8.90%, its worst monthly performance since March 2020, when it collapsed by 17.21%. At this time, markets were beginning to realize the impact that Covid-19 would have on the global economy.
The performance is a little better over the first quarter as a whole with a decline of 4.08%, thanks to a good month of February (+5.59%).
The other European markets also managed to appear in the green today, like the DAX 40 in Frankfurt which gained 0.31%, or the FTSE 100 in London which gained 0.52%. On the other hand, over the whole month these two indices showed respective drops of 10.49 and 6.69%.
Whether over the last four weeks or today’s session, the markets have been impacted by the war in the Middle East and its consequences on energy prices, which raise fears of an inflationary surge and therefore a tightening of the various monetary policies of central banks almost everywhere in the world. world.
Moreover, the latest inflation figures published today point in this direction. In France, according to preliminary data from INSEE, the consumer price index increased by 0.9%, as expected, after an increase of 0.6%. On an annual basis, inflation is showing an increase of 1.7%, against expectations of +1.6% and after +0.9% a month earlier. This rise is explained by the strong rebound in energy prices (+7.3% over one year, after -2.9% in February), particularly those of petroleum products.
In the euro zone, this same indicator logically followed the same trajectory with an annual increase of 2.5%, compared to 1.9% a month earlier. Like INSEE, Eurostat, which publishes this data, estimated that energy should experience the highest annual growth rate in March with +4.9%, compared to -3.1% in February.
To return to the conflict in the Middle East, in terms of encouraging news, Pete Hegseth, the American Minister of Defense, indicated during a press conference that discussions with Iran were intensifying. On the other hand, for his part, Donald Trump directly targeted France on his social network. The President of the United States announced that France had refused flights over its territory to planes loaded with military supplies destined for Israel. He added: “France was very uncooperative regarding the ‘Butcher of Iran,’ who was successfully eliminated! The United States will remember that.”
On the currency market, the euro is rising against the greenback (+0.60%), it is trading at 1.1525 dollars.
On the raw materials side, the price of a barrel of oil is falling. WTI lost 1.46% to $104.63, while North Sea Brent lost 1.21% to $107.38.
Other statistics and company news
In the United States, the Chicago PMI index, which measures the level of manufacturing activity in this region of the United States, fell significantly more than expected in March. It settled at 52.8 points, against expectations at 54.8 and a precedent at 57.7 points. At 52.8 points, it is at its lowest level since December 2025.
On the other hand, consumer confidence calculated by the Conference Board improved while a deterioration was feared. It increased by 91 points in February to 91.8 in March, while analysts were expecting a decline to 87.8 points.
At the company level, Alstom was particularly surrounded and the stock rose 5.39%. The group has won a new systems contract within the AMECA region, as part of a consortium, for a total project value of $2.75 billion. The French group’s share is around 30%, or 700 million euros.
Also well oriented, Getlink increased by 3.51%. The operator of the Channel Tunnel has seen one of its main shareholders strengthen its capital. This is the Italian company Mundys, an Italian company specializing in infrastructure, and controlled by Edizione, the holding company of the Benetton family. Mundys will increase its stake by 3.5% to bring it to 19% and could take an additional 6% if it obtains the necessary authorizations.
Conversely, in the red, Eutelsat stumbled by 3.31%. According to Reuters, the group is in discussions with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for its future satellite launches.
Solutions30 collapsed by 14.51% after the presentation of clearly deteriorating 2025 results, marked in particular by the widening of the group’s net loss from 15.8 to 60.7 million euros.
Also in decline, Casino lost 4.12%. If during its publication of results, the group revealed a clear improvement in its profitability, investors are especially concerned about the financial situation of the company which should unveil a financial restructuring plan according to AlphaValue, with a risk of dilution. significant.
In the United Kingdom, Unilever lost 7.28%, after confirming that it was in advanced discussions with McCormick (which lost 5.37% to Wall Street at the time of the European close) with a view to regrouping most of its food activities, in order to concentrate on hygiene and beauty.
