French shares close almost flat

PARIS, March 18 (Xinhua) -- French shares closed almost flat on Monday, with the benchmark Paris CAC 40 up 0.14 percent, or 7.51 points, to close at 5,412.83 points.

Of the 40 selected large companies, 22 gained in the day.

French banking company Credit Agricole advanced 2.57 percent. French banking group Societe Generale rose 2.47 percent, while French international financial group BNP Paribas rose 1.84 percent.

French-based international ophthalmic optics company EssilorLuxottica lost 1.13 percent. French software company Dassault Systemes lost 1.96 percent and STMicroelectronics, a French-Italian multinational electronics and semiconductor manufacturer, shed 2.16 percent. Enditem