French shares lost on Wednesday, with the benchmark Paris CAC 40 down 0.36 percent, or 19.83 points, to close at 5,493.99 points.

A total of 29 of the 40 selected large companies lost in the day.

French multinational advertising and public relations company Publicis Groupe tumbled 2.29 percent, the top loser of the blue chips. French retail giant Carrefour was down 1.75 percent. French banking group Societe Generale edged down 1.74 percent.

French water and waste group Veolia Environment advanced 0.81 percent, the top gainer of the day. French multinational car manufacturer Peugeot gained 0.58 percent. French multinational food-products corporation Danone was up 0.54 percent.