"We are finishing the job; I think in two weeks, a few days more or less, we are going to fine-tune the work. There is no reason to stay indefinitely" in Iran, stated the White House resident, estimating that the United States has already "destroyed large quantities of missile manufacturing capabilities."

Furthermore, he assured that "it is possible" that his country and Iran could reach an agreement "shortly."

Following Trump's remarks, oil prices fell sharply. At midday, Brent is down 0.14% at 103.17 dollars. WTI is shedding 1.69% to 100.03 USD.

Regarding the clashes, Yemen's Houthis, allied with Iran, claimed their third missile attack against Israel in a statement from their spokesperson published on Telegram. Having entered the war on Saturday, they claim to have targeted "sensitive targets" in the south of the country. "The operation was conducted jointly with our brothers" in Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah, and "achieved its objectives."

In corporate news, Kering and L'Oreal announced yesterday the completion of their strategic partnership in beauty according to the terms disclosed on October 19, 2025, after obtaining approval from competition authorities. The agreement formalizes L'Oreal's acquisition of Kering Beaute, including Maison Creed and the signing of beauty and fragrance licenses for Kering's iconic Maisons. This involves a fifty-year licensing agreement for the creation, development, and distribution of perfume and beauty products for the Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga brands.

Air France-KLM (+6.80%) is posting the strongest gain on the SBF 120, buoyed by the sharp contraction in oil prices, as kerosene typically represents between 25% and 30% of an airline's operating costs. The airline had indicated in late March that it had fuel hedging of around 70% for the first and second quarters, but the group remained vulnerable to price hikes on its unhedged portion. This is precisely what forced it to revise its fares upward a few weeks ago, with a surcharge of 50 to 70 euros on long-haul round trips in economy class, and 10% for short and medium-haul flights.

Additionally, as part of its active "bolt-on" acquisition strategy, Legrand announced two new external growth operations in data centers, namely the companies Keydak in China and TES in the United Kingdom.

Within the SBF 120, Nanobiotix is rising nearly 6% after narrowing its net loss attributable to shareholders in 2025. It stands at 24 million euros, or 0.50 EUR per share, representing a 65% year-on-year decrease. This improvement is primarily due to the one-time positive accounting impact of revenue recognition, combined with the removal of the funding obligation for the NANORAY-312 study, according to the biotech company.

Atos (+0.74%) announced the completion of the sale of Bull, its advanced computing business, to the French State for an enterprise value of up to 404 million euros, marking a new step in its strategic refocusing.

In Europe, The Berkeley Group Holdings plc is recording, by far, the steepest decline on the FTSE 100 with a 14.44% plunge to 2,943 pence. The British homebuilding and urban regeneration company stated that its model is focused on brownfield site regeneration, but that it requires massive upfront investments which demand a stable environment. However, recent years have been marked by an unprecedented rise in costs and regulatory constraints, combined with persistent geopolitical and macroeconomic volatility. Consequently, The Berkeley Group has decided to suspend new land acquisitions as long as current conditions (high taxation, increased regulation) persist.

Eurozone: manufacturing activity at a 45-month high in March

On the statistical front, several manufacturing PMI indices were published this morning.

In the Eurozone, the pace of growth in the manufacturing sector accelerated in March, whereas a contraction had been feared. The S&P Global index measuring manufacturing activity rose from 50.8 in February to 51.6 points in March, a level not seen in 45 months. Analysts had expected a drop to 49.4 points.

According to Joe Hayes, Principal Economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence: "The consequences of the war in the Middle East are already being reflected in the Eurozone manufacturing sector's situation. Indeed, supplier delivery times have lengthened significantly as supply chains adapt to shipping disruptions, while the surge in oil and energy prices has pushed input price inflation to its highest level since late 2022."

Furthermore, the French manufacturing PMI, calculated by S&P Global, stood at the 50 mark in March—synonymous with a status quo—remaining close to its February level (50.1) and indicating a stagnation in the sector's health. Production turned downward again in March after two consecutive months of growth at the start of 2026. Meanwhile, the decline in new orders deepened, and business confidence retreated to a five-month low.