CAC 40 (FCHI) Index Highlights

The CAC 40 (Cotation Assistée en Continu) is the leading stock index of the Paris Stock Exchange and serves as a benchmark for general trading trends on Euronext Paris. It was introduced on December 31, 1987, with a base value of 1,000 points. However, historical daily prices are available for the CAC 40 dating back to 1969, and weekly prices dating back to 1965. The CAC 40 includes the 40 most actively traded French companies listed on the Paris Stock Exchange. The weighting of companies in the index is primarily based on their market capitalization and the market value of freely tradable shares, with the restriction that no single company's weight can exceed 15 percent. In addition, a company must meet certain criteria to be included in the CAC 40. It must be one of the most important companies in France and have its headquarters in France, among other requirements. Furthermore, the company's stock must be among the hundred most traded stocks on the Paris Stock Exchange. The composition of the CAC 40 is reviewed quarterly by a commission and adjusted if necessary. Unlike the DAX, the CAC 40 is a price index. Therefore, the index level represents the average of the prices of the included stocks. Dividend payments are not taken into account in the index. The CAC 40 index level is calculated and published every trading day between 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at one-second intervals.