CAC 40 Hits Record High

2025-10-20 07:57 By Joana Ferreira 1 min. read

Paris’ CAC 40 rose 0.6% to 8,225 points on Monday, reaching a record high, driven by strong gains in Kering and L’Oréal.

Kering surged 4.5% after announcing an agreement to sell its beauty division to L’Oréal for €4 billion, while L’Oréal shares added 1% on the news.

Thales climbed more than 2%, rebounding from a sharp decline last week.

The gains were driven by renewed demand for defense stocks as the Ukraine war shows no signs of easing, and by hopes that improving US–China relations may lead Beijing to loosen its export restrictions on military rare earths.

Meanwhile, Airbus gained 1.5% after India’s IndiGo finalized a commitment for 30 A350 aircraft.

Elsewhere, investors continued to digest S&P Global Ratings’ downgrade of France, citing heightened fiscal risks and persistent uncertainty surrounding government finances.



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