Growth in French Economy Grinds to a Halt in Q2

Despite the fact that economists had expected growth of 0.3% in the French economy in Q2, consumers cut back and there was no growth at all for the period.

Growth in the first quarter had been the best in nearly five years at 0.9%, and it had been expected that a growth trend would continue. However, exports were flat, according to a Bloomberg report, and French households cut consumption by 0.7%, driving the economy lower and threatening to take the euro zone along with it. Germany and the euro zone are expected to release their numbers on Aug. 16.

Jennifer McKeown, senior European economist at Capital Economics in London, said in a note to clients, “Next week’s release might show that Germany performed a bit better, but with Italy and Spain barely growing, the euro zone as a whole will have managed only a very modest expansion in the second quarter. As for France itself, the 0.7% drop in consumer spending was the sharpest in nearly 15 years, suggesting that the household sector can no longer be relied upon to support the economy.”