French shares drop 0.78 pct Thursday

PARIS, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- French shares lost on Thursday, with the benchmark Paris CAC 40 down 0.78 percent, or 42.31 points, to close at 5,357.14 points.

Of the 40 selected large companies, 34 lost in the day.

European IT services corporation Atos tumbled 2.65 percent, the top loser of the blue chips. Safran, French multinational aircraft engine, aerospace-component, and defense company, was down 2.03 percent and French multinational mass media conglomerate Vivendi lost 1.76 percent.

French car manufacturer Peugeot rose 1.71 percent, the top gainer of the day. French multinational luxury group Kering and French ophthalmic company Essilor Intl gained 0.39 percent and 0.31 percent respectively. Enditem