The Paris Bourse ended the session down 0.35%, at 7252 points, as investors adopted a cautious stance 48 hours ahead of the ECB's key meeting on Thursday.

In the run-up to the meeting, traders this morning took note of a number of statistics from the Old Continent.

As in the previous month, the ZEW economic sentiment index for Germany recorded a slight rise in the September survey: at -11.4 points, it was 0.9 points higher than in August.

'More and more respondents are anticipating stable interest rates in the eurozone and the United States. In addition, experts are expecting a further easing of monetary policy in China", explains Achim Wambach, President of ZEW.

Data from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (Ine) showed that inflation in Spain picked up in August, reaching 2.6% year-on-year, compared with +2.3% the previous month.

On the oil market, production cuts by several Opec+ countries, in particular Saudi Arabia and Russia, outweighed fears of a global economic slowdown, resulting in a surge in prices.

Brent crude rose by almost 1.8% to break the $92/barrel barrier, while US light crude (West Texas Intermediate, WTI) soared by +2.2% to $89.1, a new annual record.

A barrel at $100 is now a credible scenario before the end of the year", says DeftHedge, a specialist in corporate currency and commodity risk management, citing both cyclical and structural factors.

On the bond front, OATs and Bunds managed to stabilize at 3.175% and 2.635% respectively, while T-Bonds tightened by a margin of +0.4pts to 4.295%.

In news from French companies, Interparfums reported a 43% increase in net income (Group share) to 77.6 million euros for the first half of 2023, and a 3.3-point improvement in operating margin to 25.8%, on sales up 24% to 396.1 million.

Fnac Darty announced on Tuesday the launch of a senior bond offering maturing in 2029 for a total amount of 300 million euros in order to refinance itself.

Voltalia announced the signature, by its subsidiary Helexia, of a contract with Prime Energy, one of Brazil's largest electricity traders, for the supply of 46 megawatts of photovoltaic energy over a 20-year period.

TotalEnergies announces that the €1.99/liter cap at all its service stations in France will be extended beyond the end of 2023, 'as long as prices remain high'.

SES-imagotag jumps 9% in Paris, following the publication of first-half 2023 results which "reflect a very strong operating performance" according to Stifel, which remains 'buy' on the stock.

Airbus announces a strategic partnership with DG Fuels, to promote sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the United States through a promising technology for production from cellulosic waste and residues and renewable energy sources.

In addition, Airbus Helicopters reports that it has signed a framework agreement with PHI Group (PHI) including commitments on 20 H175 super-medium helicopters and 8 H160 models.

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