Around 10:30 a.m., the CAC 40 was up by about 0.8%, hovering near 8,470 points, while the pan-European STOXX Europe 50 index gained 0.5%, London's FTSE 100 advanced 0.5%, and Frankfurt's DAX 40 rose by 0.3%.

This momentum stands in contrast to Wall Street's performance the previous day, where the Dow Jones index slipped 0.54% to 49,395 points, the S&P 500 fell 0.28% to 6,862 points, and the Nasdaq 100 contracted by 0.41% to 24,797 points.

Encouraging Signals from PMI Indices

Released early in the morning, the HCOB Flash Composite PMI for overall activity in France rebounded from 49.1 in January to 49.9, signaling a near-stabilization of private sector activity in February.

For the eurozone as a whole, the preliminary composite PMI for February came in above expectations. Initially forecast to rise slightly from 51.3 to 51.5, it ultimately reached 51.9, its highest level in three months.

"The fundamentals of the eurozone economy nevertheless appear to remain solid; new business won by manufacturers and service providers increased in February, which should help drive overall activity growth in the coming months," noted Cyrus de la Rubia, Chief Economist at Hamburg Commercial Bank.

In the United States, the PCE price index—the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation—will be closely monitored to better anticipate the future trajectory of the central bank's monetary policy.

U.S. GDP figures, also due at 2:30 p.m., are expected to show that growth remained robust across the Atlantic in the fourth quarter, with consensus forecasts pointing to an increase in activity of around 3%.

Also in the U.S., the preliminary composite PMI index, the final reading of the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for February, and new home sales data for December 2025 are all scheduled for release.

Air Liquide in the Spotlight Following Annual Results

On the Paris market, Air Liquide leads the CAC 40 gainers with a rise of over 3%, as the industrial gases supplier raised its dividend by 12% following the release of its annual results and well-received targets.

The positive trend in Paris is also being fueled by luxury giants LVMH (+3%) and Hermès (+2%), following in the wake of Moncler (+10% in Milan), which reported a 7% increase in revenue, driven by Asian and American markets.

Conversely, investors showed little enthusiasm for Danone's results: the stock remained flat, even though the food group saw its recurring operating margin and like-for-like sales improve in 2025.