French shares gain 0.31 pct on Thursday

PARIS, April 18 (Xinhua) -- French shares edged up on Thursday, with the benchmark Paris CAC 40 up 0.31 percent, or 17.29 points, to close at 5,580.38 points.

Of the 40 selected large companies, 27 gained in the day.

Global energy management group Schneider Electric, advanced 2.72 percent, French global automotive supplier Valeo rose 2.43 percent. French public relations company Publicis Groupe rose 1.54 percent.

French transnational company with activities in water management, waste management and energy services Veolia lost 0.94 percent. Pernod-Ricard, a French company that produces alcoholic beverages, went down by 1.06 percent and French international luxury group Kering went down by 5.04 percent. Enditem