French Stocks Slip but Remain on Track for Weekly Gain

The CAC 40 fell 0.2% to 7,922 on Friday, retreating after two consecutive sessions of gains as investors grew cautious over renewed trade tensions between the EU and China. The bloc is considering new powers to restrict access to its single market and assessing import data for potential surges, a preliminary step toward imposing quotas on additional goods from China and other economies. While China has warned of retaliation against new EU trade measures or discriminatory restrictions targeting Chinese companies and products, Beijing has also signaled its willingness to work with the bloc to address global imbalances. Investors also continued to assess the outlook for the artificial intelligence sector following a recent sell-off driven by concerns over AI spending. Among the biggest decliners, L’Oréal fell 0.9%, LVMH dropped 1.2%, Schneider Electric lost 1%, and Hermès slipped 0.9%. Despite Friday’s retreat, the index remained on track to snap a two-week losing streak.