CAC 40 Closes Slightly Higher
The French benchmark index finished the session at 8,071.36 points, gaining 0.06% on a heavy turnover of €4.258 billion. Traders were mainly focused on the U.S. Federal Reserve’s latest policy move.
Fed Holds Rates, Markets React
The Federal Reserve left its target range unchanged at 3.50%‑3.75%. Chairman Jerome Powell delivered a concise statement, noting that inflation remains high but U.S. economic growth stays solid. The message reinforced expectations of a prolonged restrictive monetary stance.
Commodities Rally
Gold surged to a new all‑time high of $5,594.34 per ounce, driven by lingering geopolitical tension. Silver rose 3%, copper jumped 6%, and Brent crude edged up 1% as a weaker dollar and global uncertainty buoyed risk‑off assets.
Equity Movers
Energy giant TotalEnergies added 1.37% to settle at €60.82, while Legrand (up 2.14% at €135.90) and Schneider Electric (up 2.57% at €241.40) benefited from a positive sector tone after strong results from ABB. In contrast, Eurofins slipped 6.26% to €66.20 after delivering earnings below expectations.
February Futures Outlook
Resistance levels: 8,311 → 8,338 → 8,399.5 → 8,470 points.
Support zones: 8,274.5 → 8,247 → 8,216 → 8,182 → 8,116 → 8,045.5 → 8,014.5 → 7,963 → 7,904 points.
Intraday bias stays bullish as long as the index remains above the 8,098‑point threshold.
Technical Snapshot
At 14:00 the CAC 40 future was trading in a narrow range between 8,030 and 8,162 points. The latest candle shows a bearish engulfing pattern, suggesting sellers may target the lower edge of the upward channel around 8,014.5 points. A close above this level would keep the longer‑term bias bullish, while a break below could trigger a pull‑back toward the major support around 7,731 points.
Key indicators: the index stays above its 20‑, 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages. The MACD histogram is turning negative, the RSI hovers in neutral territory, and volume has slipped compared with the previous session.
Portfolio Implications
Given the mix of uncertainty and upside potential, the Dynamic portfolio maintains a modest short position on speculative index instruments, while the Investor portfolio keeps a hedge in place. Short‑term focus will be on whether the CAC 40 can firmly clear the 8,182‑point resistance. A sustained break could justify a gradual increase in equity exposure; a failure would likely prompt defensive adjustments.
