On the eve of the presentation to the Council of Ministers of the government's draft budget for 2027, which will give rise to intense debates in Parliament, INSEE has published the figures relating to France's public debt in the 2nd half of the year, i.e. 3,595 billion euros and 119% of GDP, The net debt is slightly lower (3,366 billion) but up over one year by 191 billion.

On the same day, the interest rate on 10-year government bonds reached 4.75% compared to 3.55% at the beginning of the year. This was the ...

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The frequently critical comments about the slowdown in the growth of the Chinese economy do not help to understand the action of its leaders and the direction in which the country is heading. A range of between 4.5 and 5% had been chosen for GDP growth in 2026. The figures for the 1st half of the year placed it at the bottom of this range and the latest forecasts for the 3rd quarter estimate it to be even lower. While business and public sector investment remains dynamic, household consumption is growing little and the main driver of the Chinese ...

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The announcement of the downward revision of the French growth forecast for 2026 by the Ministry of Finance, reduced to 0.4% from 0.7% initially estimated, is not a surprise. The Bank of France had already reduced its to 0.6% in August. But the very negative comments that accompanied it are excessive and the European comparisons unwelcome. In an increasingly difficult international context, including a sharp rise in oil and natural gas prices and a summer marked by a real climate catastrophe, France will escape recession. Germany, after being plunged into it for two years, is barely out ...

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