The Paris stock market gained almost 0.3% this morning, around the 7,450-point mark, helped by URW (+2.1%), Alstom (+1.7%) and Stellantis (+1.3%) in particular.

Market initiatives remain limited ahead of a busy weekend in terms of economic indicators and results.

After a strong end to 2023, the Paris market has entered a phase of sluggish consolidation since the start of the year, which has seen it shed over 1.5% since January 1 and break the important 7500-point barrier.

We shouldn't exaggerate the importance of this movement, however, as despite their erratic variations at the start of the year, equity markets have continued to move within limited trading ranges since Christmas, with nothing to steer them in either direction", moderates Jim Reid, market analyst at Deutsche Bank.

For the time being, no news has caught the attention of investors, who seem to be just victims of a small attack of indigestion after the excessive exuberance of late 2023, which left the markets with a somewhat prolonged hangover", he adds.

Kiplink France's analysts believe that, 'To move forward again and start a new uptrend, the CAC 40 will need to break through 7475 points and the symbolic 7500-point barrier in strength and closing prices'.

This wait-and-see mood is likely to prevail until tomorrow's release of US inflation data, which will help determine the Federal Reserve's monetary policy path.

The fourth-quarter earnings season for US companies is also due to kick off on Friday, with releases from major banking groups JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo.

Today's session is likely to be less lively, in the absence of any major economic indicators.

Investors will still be taking a look at wholesale inventories and oil reserves in the USA.

Meanwhile, in France, manufacturing output rose slightly in November (+0.3% after +0.2%) and rebounded in total industry (+0.5% after -0.3%), according to Insee's CVS-CJO data.

In company news, Valneva announces the vaccination of the first participant in its Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of two different doses of its single-injection chikungunya vaccine in children.

TotalEnergies announces that it has signed an agreement with Impact Oil and Gas Namibia (Pty) Ltd to acquire additional interests of 10.5% in Block 2913B and 9.39% in Block 2912, operated by the French oil and gas group in Namibia.

Finally, Vantiva (formerly known as Technicolor) announces the completion of a reserved capital increase of almost 87.6 million euros, paid up by debt set-off, with cancellation of the preferential subscription right in favor of CommScope.

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