Around the World's Markets: Paris

THE PARIS stock market trod water yesterday, as the swing on Wall Street from loss to modest gain in early trading left French dealers lacking a firm direction.

The CAC-40 closed up 0.07 per cent at 4,376.68 in thin volume of 1.75 billion euros. Traders said the Dow's weakness was keeping investors at a distance.

"The US has been up and down and is scaring people off. No-one really knows what it is going to do next, so they would rather wait and see," said one market-maker at a large French bank.