The national benchmark dedicated to the French market. 

Why invest in the CAC 40? 

The iconic CAC 40® Index is Euronext’s most widely used index and offers diversified sectorial coverage, ideal for various investment strategies. It is a free float market capitalisation weighted index that reflects the performance of the 40 largest and most actively traded shares listed on Euronext Paris.

The CAC 40 is part of a larger index family of products matching the needs of the market which encourage savings from both French and foreign investors to be invested in French companies and for 30 years has served millions of institutional (banks, asset management firms, etc.) and retail clients in the development of investment strategies and the creation of products such as:

• Thousands of products with CAC 40® as underlying: Warrants, Certificates, ETFs, Futures, Options.
• The CAC 40® future is the second most traded national derivatives product in Europe

About the CAC 40 index

• CAC 40® stands for “Cotation Assistée en Continu 40” (continuous stock quotation).

The name was chosen to make a link with the previous name of the Paris stock exchange, “Companies des Agents de Change”.

The launch of the index coincided with the French stock market switching to electronic trading in 1986:

• 31 December 1987: the value of the index was fixed at 1,000 points
• 15 June 1988: official launch of the index

The CAC 40® index was created by the Société des Bourses Françaises (SBF) and the name of the French exchange at the time. The index was originally created to support the futures market (MATIF) and the options market (MONEP).

• An earlier name for the CAC 40® was to be the ION 40 which stands for “Indice Options négociables” (traded options index).
• The CAC 40® was created according to international standards for options indices. Its aim was to be a fixed point of reference for investors.

Euronext is the administrator of the CAC ® index family covering all French listed companies, from large caps to small and mid-caps, designed to meet the needs of investors: CAC Next 20, CAC Large 60, CAC Mid 60, SBF 120 CAC Small, CAC Mid & Small, and CAC All-Tradable.

The Euronext Biodiversity Screened World Index offers opportunities for a large range of investment vehicles such as ETFs, funds and structured products. 

Learn more about the CAC 40 Index

CAC 40 INDEX LIVE QUOTES

CAC 40 Factsheet   |   CAC 40 Rules

Euronext Blue-chip indices

The CAC 40® Index is part of a broader suite of flagship indices across Euronext's geographies and the mother index to a suite of ESG indices.

Discover the CAC 40 ESG

Discover the CAC SBT 1.5

Watch the CAC 40 presentation:

Contact us at   index-team@euronext.com

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Euronext has successfully completed the first phase of its cash markets migration to Euronext's multi-asset clearing house Euronext Clearing as default CCP (Central Counterparty), with Euronext Clearing for Brussels markets going live on Monday 6 November 2023.

Brussels markets lead the way for Amsterdam, Dublin, Lisbon and Paris

The Brussels cash markets now join the Italian cash and derivatives markets in having Euronext Clearing, formerly CC&G, handle their clearing activity.

Euronext Amsterdam, Dublin, Lisbon and Paris markets will follow two weeks later on Monday 27 November 2023. Customers across the Euronext cash markets (with the exception of Oslo, whose cash markets have separate clearing arrangements) will then have access to a harmonised clearing framework across the Euronext venues, with one single platform from which they can access information on collateral, risk, and clearing, while still enjoying localised support as part of Euronext’s proven federal model. They will benefit from improved netting efficiencies and cutting-edge technology, and many other benefits through the simplification of the post-trade value chain.

Realising Euronext’s Growth for Impact 2024 plan

The move to Euronext Clearing is part of the Euronext strategic plan "Growth for Impact 2024." By enabling Euronext to directly manage this core service for clients, Euronext Clearing will create substantial value through a unified clearing framework across Euronext venues.

A best-in-class VaR risk framework

This significant moment in offering clearing via Euronext Clearing for Euronext Brussels comes just two weeks after a new Value at Risk (VaR) risk model was introduced on Italian markets, replacing the previous SPAN-like model (MARS). The VaR model aligns with the industry's best practices and represents a significant advancement in risk management principles. This new risk framework is already built in for the Euronext markets joining Euronext Clearing, and has been offered since 2022 for Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Irish government bonds on MTS and BrokerTec cash and repo platforms. The introduction of the VaR framework reinforces Euronext Clearing's commitment to its clients' efficiency and safety, offering increasingly efficient and resilient solutions for risk capture and allocation.

Looking ahead to 2024

To complete this major migration, Euronext listed derivatives and commodities markets will also move to Euronext Clearing as their preferred CCP, targeted for Q3 2024. Euronext Clearing teams in Italy, France and the UK are continuing to work closely with customers to ensure that the final phase in the Euronext Clearing expansion runs as seamlessly as possible, bringing Euronext Clearing to all Euronext’s derivatives markets.