CAC 40 Moderately Lower As Investors Digest PMI, Inflation Data

Market Performance - France's equity benchmark CAC 40 opened flat but drifted lower, down 49.25 points or 0.6% at 8,162.25 before noon [1] - Notable declines were seen in Legrand and Dassault Systemes, which fell 3.7% and 3.6% respectively, while Capgemini and Saint Gobain lost over 3% [1] Company Movements - BNP Paribas, Hermes International, Schneider Electric, Publicis Groupe, LVMH, Air Liquide, Accor, and Societe Generale experienced losses ranging from 1% to 1.6% [2] - In contrast, Orange and STMicroElectronics gained 2.6% and 2.5% respectively, with Michelin up 1.5% and Thales and Engie gaining 1.2% and 1.1% respectively [2] Economic Indicators - France's inflation eased to a seven-month low in December, attributed to a significant drop in energy prices [2] - The consumer price index (CPI) showed an annual increase of 0.8%, the slowest since May, following a 0.9% rise in November [3] - EU harmonized inflation also unexpectedly slowed to 0.7% in December from 0.8% in November, contrary to forecasts [3] PMI Data - The HCOB France Composite PMI for December was revised to 50.0, indicating stagnant output, with the manufacturing PMI at 50.7 and the Services PMI at 50.1 [4] - The HCOB Flash Eurozone Composite PMI for December was revised to 51.5, down from a flash estimate of 51.9 and November's 30-month high of 52.8 [5]