France: CAC 40 Advances as Luxury Stocks Gain.

The CAC 40 rose 0.3% to close at 8,670 on Thursday, extending its winning streak to six sessions on gains in the luxury sector. Luxury stocks rose after strong quarterly results from Chanel. Hermes jumped 5.2% after being named a top sector pick by Berenberg. Kering rose 1.9%, while LVMH (+0.4%) and L'Oreal (+0.5%) also advanced. Meanwhile, private-sector payroll employment fell 0.1% quarter-on-quarter, or 19,300 jobs, to 21 million in the second quarter, in line with expectations. Signs of a cooling labor market could support a more dovish stance from the ECB. Financial stocks advanced, with BNP Paribas up 0.4% and AXA gaining 0.8%. Also, the Construction PMI rose to a five-month high of 41.5 in July 2026 from 38.2 in June. Vinci went up 0.6%, Bouygues gaining 0.8%, and Eiffage adding 0.5%. TotalEnergies gained 1% on higher oil prices, while Safran (-0.9%) and Airbus (-1.2%) weighed on the index. Unemployment and trade balance data will be released tomorrow.