French shares advanced on Wednesday, with the benchmark Paris CAC 40 up 0.42 percent, or 22.44 points, to close at 5,383.81points.

A total of 30 of the 40 selected large companies gained in the day.

French international financial giant BNP Parisbas advanced 1.74 percent, the top gainer of the blue chips.

Legrand, global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures, rose 1.58 percent. French financial group Credit Agricole gained 1.36 percent.

Global leader in oil and gas projects, technologies, systems and services, Technipfmc went down by 2.30 percent, the top loser of the blue chips.

STMicroelectronics, innovative semiconductor solutions for Smart Driving and IoT (Internet of Things), edged down 2.10 percent. Multinational building materials producer Saint-Gobain lost 0.54 percent.