French shares rose on Thursday, with the benchmark Paris CAC 40 up 1.39 percent, or 75.73 points, to close at 5,528.46 points.

A total of 36 of the 40 selected large companies gained in the day.

European IT services corporation Atos advanced 5.30 percent, the top gainer of the blue chip shares. European aeronautics company Airbus Group gained 4.37 percent. French automotive manufacturer Peugeot rose 3.00 percent.

French multinational food-products corporation Danone edged down 0.67 percent. French multinational banking company Societe Generale lost 0.17 percent.