Home › Tickers › CAC 40 · France
CAC 40 · France^FCHI
France's 40 largest stocks — the world's de facto luxury-goods index.
Past week: +0.19%
30-day price
Where the chart sits — description, not prediction
Trading above both its 50-day (8,194.70) and 200-day (8,117.36) averages — the longer-term trend reads as up. 30-day range 7,952.55–8,467.98; currently in the upper third of that range. RSI(14) 65 — momentum firm.
Computed from daily closing prices (Yahoo Finance), June 23, 2026. Compare all markets →
What is CAC 40 · France?
The CAC 40 (Cotation Assistee en Continu) is the benchmark of Euronext Paris, tracking the 40 largest, most-traded French-listed companies by free-float value, launched 31 December 1987 with a base of 1,000 and a 15% single-stock cap.
It is often called the world's luxury index because of the huge weight of LVMH, Hermes, Kering and L'Oreal — luxury and consumer names are roughly a quarter of the index — alongside TotalEnergies, Airbus, Schneider Electric and the big French banks. Around 45% of CAC 40 shares are foreign-held, more than any other major European index, and about two-thirds of constituent revenue comes from outside France, so it trades on global luxury demand (especially China), aerospace and oil. Paris trades 3:00-11:30 AM ET.
What has moved CAC 40 · France
2008 crisis, 6 Oct 2008: -9.0% in a session
The Monday after Lehman's collapse the CAC fell 9.04% (down ~9.8% intraday) — its worst day since the index began — as BNP Paribas and Societe Generale faced acute funding stress.
Brexit vote, 24 June 2016: -8.0% in a day
The morning after the UK leave vote the CAC fell 8.04%, its worst session since 2008, as French exporters and banks with cross-Channel exposure led the drop; the UK was then France's second-largest export market.
COVID crash, 9 March 2020: -8.4% and ~-33% peak-to-trough
On 9 March 2020 the CAC fell 8.39% as virus lockdowns and an OPEC+ price war hammered TotalEnergies; the index lost about a third of its value between 19 Feb and 18 March.
First close above 8,000, 8 March 2024
The CAC closed above 8,000 for the first time on 8 March 2024 (8,028) on ECB rate-cut hopes and strong luxury and industrial earnings from LVMH and Hermes.
Notable moments
The most foreign-owned major European index
Roughly 45% of CAC 40 shares are held by non-French investors — more than the DAX, FTSE or Euro Stoxx — so the index is especially sensitive to global risk-off flows and currency hedging by international funds.
A China-consumer barometer
With LVMH, Hermes, Kering and L'Oreal near a quarter of the index, the CAC swings on Chinese consumer confidence more than any other European benchmark — luxury demand in China and travel-retail moves it directly.
Common questions
What does CAC stand for?
Cotation Assistee en Continu — French for Continuous Assisted Quotation, a nod to the computerised trading system Paris adopted in the 1980s.
Why is it so sensitive to Chinese spending?
Luxury names (LVMH, Hermes, Kering, L'Oreal) are about 25% of the index and earn heavily from Chinese consumers, so CAC moves on China confidence are often outsized versus other European indices.
What time does it trade versus US hours?
Paris runs 9:00 AM-5:30 PM CET, i.e. 3:00-11:30 AM Eastern, finishing well before the NYSE closes. Educational only, not investment advice.
Is the CAC just French companies?
They are Paris-listed, but most are global — LVMH and TotalEnergies earn the bulk of revenue abroad, so the CAC is a global index in all but its listing location.