Paris CAC 40 index gains 0.45 pct

The French stock market index, CAC 40, continued its upward movement on Wednesday, gaining 0.45 percent and closing on a new high of the year at 5.069 points.

The day was notably marked by the official launch of Britain's exit process from the European Union (EU) and the beginning of two years of negotiations.

The top three gainers were Erytech, which shot up 23.3 percent, Neopost that increased by 12.2 percent and TechnipFMC, up 4.6 percent.

The three companies whose stock dropped most were Guerbet, which plummeted 13.3 percent, Orpea, down 1.3 percent, and Capgemini, which dipped by 0.6 percent.

In the previous trading day, the CAC 40 gained 0.57 percent and closed at 5,046.20 points. Endit