(RTTNews) - French stocks edged higher on Wednesday as encouraging earnings results from banking group Societe Generale helped boost optimism over a vaccine-led economic recovery.
The benchmark CAC 40 inched up 6 points, or 0.1 percent, to 5,698 after closing up 0.1 percent on Tuesday.
Societe Generale climbed 2.8 percent after the bank reported a forecast-beating net profit of 470 million euros for the fourth quarter, helped by "significant improvement" in the business during the second half of 2020.
Rival BNP Paribas gained 1 percent and Credit Agricole rose 0.8 percent.
Industrial gases company Air Liquide was marginally higher. After posting better-than-expected full-year sales, the company said it aims to deliver recurring net profit in 2021.
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