--- title: "CAC 40 Rises Sharply As Earnings, U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Hopes Lift Sentiment" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/285347622.md" description: "French stocks rose sharply on Wednesday, driven by strong earnings reports and optimism over a potential U.S.-Iran peace deal. The CAC 40 index increased by 191.36 points, or 2.37%, reaching 8,253.67. Notable gainers included ArcelorMittal (+8.5%), Safran (+6.5%), and Stellantis (+6.3%). AXA reported a 3% increase in first-quarter revenues, while Veolia Environnement's EBIT rose by 7.2%. However, TotalEnergies fell by 3%. Economic indicators showed a contraction in France's private sector, with the Composite PMI at 47.6 and Services PMI at 46.5, while industrial production rose by 1% in March." datetime: "2026-05-06T09:35:20.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/285347622.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/285347622.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/285347622.md) --- # CAC 40 Rises Sharply As Earnings, U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Hopes Lift Sentiment (RTTNews) - French stocks climbed higher on Wednesday, lifted by some strong earnings updates, and hopes of a U.S.-Iran peace deal following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of a temporary suspension of "Project Freedom" in order to resume negotiations with Iran. The CAC 40, which climbed to 8,280.71 earlier this morning, was up 191.36 points or 2.37% at 8,253.67 a few minutes ago. ArcelorMittal soared nearly 8.5%. Safran jumped 6.5% and Stellantis moved up 6.3%. Societe Generale, Kering, BNP Paribas and Saint Gobain gained 5%-6%. AXA gained 4.3%. The insurance giant reported first-quarter gross written premiums and other revenues of 38.0 billion euros, up 3% from 37.0 billion euros in the prior-year period, driven by growth across Life & Health and Property & Casualty segments. On a comparable basis, premiums and other revenues rose 6%. Veolia Environnement gained 1.1%. The company reported first quarter current EBIT of 971 million euros, up 7.2% from last year. EBITDA was 1.77 billion euros, an organic growth of 5.1%. Revenue was 11.43 billion euros, up 1.0% on a like-for-like basis, and by 2.1% excluding the impact of energy prices. Renault, Credit Agricole, Hermes Interational, Bouygues, Eiffage, LVMH and Airbus moved up 4%-5%. EssilorLuxottica, Vinci, Michelin, Schneider Electric, Legrand, Eurofins Scientific, Dassault Systemes, L'Oreal and Unibail Rodmco also posted strong gains. TotalEnergies fell 3%. Euronext, Orange and Sanofi drifted modestly lower. In economic news, the S&P Global France Composite PMI was unrevised at 47.6 in April 2026, down from 48.8 in March, indicating a fourth consecutive month of contraction in France's private sector and the sharpest downturn since February 2025. The S&P Global France Services PMI fell to 46.5 in April 2026 from 48.8 in March, confirming preliminary estimates. This marked the steepest contraction since February 2025, Industrial production in France rose 1% month-on-month in March 2026, beating market expectations of a 0.5% increase and rebounding from an upwardly revised 0.9% fall in the previous month. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. ### Related Stocks - [MT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MT.US.md) - [STLA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/STLA.US.md) - [VEOEY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/VEOEY.US.md) - [AXAHY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AXAHY.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [Steel Giant ArcelorMittal Dumps 10% Vallourec Stake](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286917385.md) - [Stellantis to push US revival, brands and Chinese deals in high-stakes pitch to investors](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286860768.md) - [Jeep maker reveals plans for a new ‘groundbreaking’ EV that will start at under $18,000](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286944682.md) - [Canada Court Issues $73 Million Fine Against ArcelorMittal on Environmental Violations](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286605273.md) - [Stellantis N.V. (STLA) Shareholders Who Lost Money Have Opportunity to Lead Securities Fraud Lawsuit](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286607688.md)