Tag: France

France’s inflation rate was higher than first thought last month as energy costs surged due to the war in Iran.

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure told CNBC that France is willing to support the U.S. in securing the Strait of Hormuz — just not while the security situation remains highly dangerous and volatile.

Consumer prices in France rose 0.4% year-on-year in January, statistics office INSEE said on Wednesday, matching the preliminary reading published earlier this month and a Reuters poll of analysts.

French inflation unexpectedly eased to a five-year low, staying well short of the European Central Bank’s 2% target as energy prices fell.

France’s economy grew modestly in the fourth quarter of 2025, slowing after a strong summer rebound as slightly softer domestic demand and a rundown in business inventories weighed on activity, preliminary data from the INSEE statistics office showed on Friday.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to impose 200% tariffs on French wines and champagne after French President Emmanuel Macron was reported to be unwilling to join his “Board of Peace” on Gaza.

EU member states on Friday gave the green light to the signing of the Mercosur agreement, paving the way for a vast trade bloc taking in more than 700 million people across Europe and Latin America. France, however, plans to continue its fight against the deal in the European Parliament.

France’s Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has resigned from the position, with both allies and adversaries threatening to topple his government just hours after he appointed a fresh cabinet.

France’s credit downgrade deepens political and economic woes, piling pressure on French President Emmanuel Macron and new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.

France was thrown into further political chaos this week by the ousting of yet another prime minister after continued budget deadlock.

European stock markets retreated on Tuesday morning, pulled down by French equities as traders monitored the potential for a no confidence vote in the government next month.

Agence France Tresor, or AFT, said it will sell €300 billion in government bonds next year, net of buybacks. That’s in line with the forecast in the original plan announced in October, following €285 billion of sales this year.

French stocks led losses across European markets on Monday after a surprise ratings downgrade by Moody’s, while signs of easing strain on euro zone business activity failed to enthuse investors

Moody’s downgraded France’s credit rating on Saturday, saying that it expects the country’s incoming government to struggle to tackle its deficit.

President Emmanuel Macron has selected one of his earliest allies, the centrist politician François Bayrou, as prime minister in a bid to stabilise the political turmoil in France that has bogged down his second term.

French lawmakers will debate and vote on the no-confidence motions filed against the fragile government of Michel Barnier on Wednesday.

France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party threatened again on Monday to back a no-confidence vote over a budget dispute that could bring down Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s centre-right government within days.

French inflation quickened less than expected as confidence wanes, remaining well below the European Central Bank’s 2% target and supporting the case of interest rates to be lowered further.

Far right leader Marine Le Pen, who holds outsize leverage in France’s split parliament, gave Prime Minister Michel Barnier until Monday to accede to her budget demands before she decides whether to topple the government.

France’s government is hanging by a thread with the far-right National Rally party threatening to bring down Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s administration by the end of the year.