New year, new records for European equities | Photo credits: Shutterstock
PARIS, Jan. 3 (Reuters) – European stocks started 2022 with new highs on Monday, building on the strong performance of 2021, as prospects for economic recovery continue to outweigh pandemic concerns .
In Paris, the CAC 40 gained 0.9% to 7,217.72 points around 08:30 GMT after a record at 7,223.15 and in Frankfurt, the Dax advanced by 0.87%. The EuroStoxx 50 index rose by 0.95%, the FTSEurofirst 300 by 0.59% and the Stoxx 600 by 0.62% after an all-time high of 490.85 points. The London Stock Exchange remains closed for the New Year. The Stoxx 600 gained 22.5% over 2021 as a whole, its third consecutive year of increase, and the CAC 40 rose 28.9%, its best annual performance since 1999. Almost all of the major sectors of the European quotation are moving in positive territory, the biggest increases being for the automotive sector, for which the Stoxx index takes 1.4%.
In Paris, Airbus won 2.51% at the top of the CAC 40 and Air France-KLM 3.31% after raising the recommendation of Citigroup to “neutral” against “sell”. At the same time, the American bank made a purchase on Lufthansa, which jumped 4.43%, the largest increase in the Stoxx 600. The session will be animated, among other things, by the final results of IHS Markit surveys among purchasing managers of the manufacturing sector in the euro zone. (Written by Marc Angrand, edited by Blandine Hénault)