(Boursier.com) – The Paris market ended the last week of the year down 1.52%, at 6,473 points on Friday evening. With a decline of nearly 9% over the whole of 2022, the French flagship index did not shine: it posted its worst performance since 2018. But after a year marked by a war at the gates of Europe, the surge in inflation and bond rates, and a historic tightening of monetary policies by central banks, the CAC40 is not faring so badly. It even has something to envy since the broad European Stoxx 600 index has lost 12.75% since January 1, while the S&P500 has fallen by nearly 20% and the Nasdaq has lost more than 34% on Wall Street.
Truce of the confectioners obliges, the topicality was restricted this week and only some indicators of second row came to animate the market. The few investors present took the opportunity to make a few bargain purchases: Orpea, Korian and Solutions 30 posted the 3 biggest increases of the week, whereas these are precisely three of the stocks that lost the most ground this year on the SBF120 .
On the currency market, the euro ended the year at $1.068 between banks, down around 6% over the year. The European currency will have suffered from the consequences of the war in Ukraine and from a monetary policy of the European Central Bank deemed less restrictive than that of the Fed. Bitcoin is trading around $16,500 and has 65% liabilities over the year. Crashes in the spring and then the FTX scandal at the end of the year, cryptos recorded a financial year 2022 that was not far from being cataclysmic: the overall valuation of the compartment has collapsed by several hundred billion dollars over the last twelve months. But for fervent supporters of virtual currencies and the blockchain, this purge is undoubtedly a blessing in disguise. More regulated after these various scandals, the industry should continue to attract institutions while individuals should be better protected in the future.
Finally, on the oil market, the barrel of Brent is hovering around 84 dollars, up 6.7% since January 1. The WTI is trading close to $79 (+3% in 2022). The year, the second bull in a row, was marked by historic volatility in oil prices with prices close to $140 in March, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, then a sharp decline against a backdrop of fears of a sharp global economic slowdown, or even a recession. Investors are now anticipating a rebound in Chinese demand next year with the end of the restrictive measures put in place by Beijing in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and preparing for the possibility of a lower supply of crude with the sanctions. Western companies aiming for Russian black gold.
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