The CAC 40 Stock Market Index has been around for more than three decades and was officially established in 1987. Let’s take a look at the CAC 40 companies.
The purpose of the index is to provide a diverse opportunity to investors to access a market-cap-weighted index of 40 excellent companies that can be traded on Euronext Paris.
Contents
- CAC 40 Companies List
- Risk Management
- Best Ways to Invest in the CAC 40
- FAQs about the CAC 40
- Final Thoughts
The CAC 40 index has its portfolio regularly rebalanced to ensure that all companies are weighted appropriately.
Many long-term investors love the opportunity to invest in the CAC 40 because it is considered an excellent diverse index that continuously holds the best companies from many different sectors.
CAC 40 Companies List
All 40 companies are constantly evaluated on a quarterly basis to ensure they still meet all of the qualifications and regulations that are required to be listed on the CAC 40 stock market index.
Sorted by Alphabetical Order
Air Liquide
Airbus
Altom
ArcelorMittal
Atos
AXA
BNP Paribas
Bouygues
Capgemini
Carrefour
Credit Agricole
Danone
Dassault Systemes
Engie
EssilorLuxottica
Hermes Intl.
Kering
L’Oreal
Legrand
LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton
Michelin
Orange
Pernod Ricard
Publicis Groupe
Renault
Safran
Saint Gobain
Sanofi
Schneider Electric
Societe Generale
Stellantis
STMicroelectronics
Teleperformance
Thales
Total Energies
Unibail Rodamco Westfield
Veolia Environment
VINCI
Vivendi
Worldline
Risk Management
By investing in the CAC 40 index, you are managing your risk by spreading your investment across 40 different companies.
These companies all stem from very different sectors in the economy, and that improves your overall diversity.
It is never a good idea to hold all of your eggs in one basket, and by investing in the CAC 40, you are investing in an index with a diverse portfolio of 40 companies.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that investing in a singular company is a bad idea.
It’s just important to understand the risks of investing in a single company rather than a single index.
One of the nice things about the CAC 40 index is that each company is continuously evaluated to ensure that it still fits the criteria for being listed in the CAC 40.
This means that some companies may fall out of the portfolio over time if they do not continuously meet the strict qualifications that are set by the CAC 40.
Best Ways to Invest in the CAC 40
If you are interested in investing in the CAC 40, there are a couple of different pathways that you could take to effectively invest in the CAC 40 index.
Several ETFs are available on the NYSE Euronext Paris that will allow you to easily access this index.
Gaining exposure to the CAC 40 is easier than ever if you elect to invest through an ETF.
You could also purchase shares in the CAC 40 by acquiring a mutual fund that sets a goal for providing investors with exposure to those companies.
There are several mutual funds out there that aim to provide this exposure to investors.
Several online brokers and trading platforms currently provide investors with the opportunity to jump into the CAC 40.
If you are not interested in the concept of investing in the CAC 40 through a broker or mutual fund, then you might have the opportunity to invest by going to your bank and investing there.
Some banks have relatively significant fees, but some investors prefer to have all of their money located in one financial institution.
FAQs about the CAC 40
Here are some of the answers to the most frequently asked questions about the CAC 40.
Investors should evaluate these questions so that they fully understand the index before investing in it with their own money.
Is the CAC 40 considered to be a risky investment?
All investments are risky to some degree, but indexes like the CAC 40 purposefully take the best companies and piece them together into a single index.
One of the reasons they are less risky is that investors are exposed to companies from many different sectors and industries.
How often does the portfolio composition change in the CAC 40?
Every quarter, companies are evaluated to make sure they still qualify as a solid investment for the index to utilize.
Every quarter, all of the companies are also rebalanced as well.
Under-performing companies may be at risk of losing their position in the CAC 40, and they can be replaced by the best-performing company that is not already included.
What’s the average annual return for the CAC 40 over the last ten years?
The CAC 40 has provided investors with an average annual return of approximately 5%.
It had one of its best years in 2019 by providing investors with returns that exceeded 25%.
The CAC 40 continues to be one of the most popular investments because it has a reliable track record of success.
There are many direct and indirect ways to gain access to the CAC 40 for investment purposes.
You simply need to evaluate all of the opportunities and make the best decision for you.
Final Thoughts
Many investors are intimidated by all of the information provided to them about indexes like the CAC 40.
The fact of the matter is that this is one of the safest investments that an investor can make because it is composed of 40 high-performing companies across a diverse collection of sectors in the world economy.
You can acquire exposure to the CAC 40 through ETFs, options, futures contracts, or by directly purchasing shares in the companies and mirroring the CAC 40 portfolio.
Each of the 40 companies in this list has earned the right to be listed in the CAC 40 because they have outperformed all of the other companies that are eligible to be listed.
This means that you are investing in a reliable collection of companies that have met the strict qualifications to be listed in the first place.
Trade safe!
Disclaimer: The information above is for educational purposes only and should not be treated as investment advice. The strategy presented would not be suitable for investors who are not familiar with exchange traded options. Any readers interested in this strategy should do their own research and seek advice from a licensed financial adviser.
