FX.co ★ CAC 40 Gains Led By Banks

On Friday, French stocks experienced a boost, with promising earnings from banks overshadowing disappointing data revealing an unexpected decrease in France's industrial production for March, following a rebound in February.

According to information from the statistical office INSEE, industry output fell by 0.3 percent on a month-on-month basis, countering the 0.2 percent emerge noted in the previous month. This drop defied economists' projections of a 0.3 percent rise.

In a similar vein, manufacturing output also suffered a downturn, decreasing by 0.5 percent in March, in contrast to the nine-month peak increase of 1.0 percent experienced in February.

The CAC 40, France's benchmark, increased by 41 points, equivalent to a 0.5 percent rise, reaching 7,956, despite a 0.9 percent fall in the previous day.

Credit Agricole, the country's second-largest listed bank, experienced a 3.6 percent increase after it reported a greater than anticipated 55 percent surge in first-quarter net profit. Its competitor, Societe Generale, also saw shares rise by 4.4 percent, reinforcing its guidance following the less severe than forecasted 22 percent decrease in first-quarter net income.