CAC 40 reaches record high above 8,700 points

The French stock market index set a fresh record above 8,700 points during trading on Thursday 6 August, reaching a historic level.

CAC 40 breaks the 8,700-point barrier

8,743 points: that is the new high for the benchmark tracking the 40 largest French companies listed on the stock exchange. Thursday 6 August saw the CAC 40 move beyond 8,700 points, supported by an upbeat economic backdrop, particularly developments concerning the Middle East, as well as an outstanding performance from Hermès, which rose by 5.17 points.

Hermès was joined by Pernod Ricard and Rémy Cointreau, whose shares gained 1.2% and 1.3% respectively during the session. At the intersection of Middle East news and the performance of French businesses was also Dolfines’ announcement that it had signed two new oil and gas inspection contracts with a leading international energy group active in exploration and production.

Multinationals bolster the French index

Beyond Hermès, however, it is clearly the multinationals that are driving the index. Compared with the first half of 2025, the 38 CAC 40 groups that released their first-half 2026 results have generated almost €75 billion in combined profits. They include energy company TotalEnergies, alongside the momentum surrounding AI represented by Schneider Electric, Legrand and STMicroelectronics. Aerospace, defence and banking are also contributing to this strong performance.

Although gains since the start of the year have been larger for neighbouring indices-the German DAX, the UK FTSE, the Euro Stoxx 50 and the S&P 500-the CAC 40 can point to the fact that it has not experienced a significant fall since 2020 and the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over six years, the index has in fact doubled. Having dropped below 4,200 points following its 2020 collapse, it has remained above 8,000 points since April.

The CAC 40 first crossed the 8,000-point threshold in its history in March 2024, before passing 8,300 points in November 2025. In one month, the index climbed by more than 400 points, representing an increase of 5.62%.