Archives Jan. 1, 2026

Political news in France is focused on the preparation of the 2027 budget, in the run-up to the next presidential election and in a context where the general rise in interest rates is affecting public finances already degraded by heavy debt. The stabilization of the deficit at around 5% of GDP in 2026 is not a given due to an unstable international environment that weighs on growth and new spending required by the consequences of the weather events that occurred this summer. 

If we put aside the project of cancelling part of the debt that would make France look like ...

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Natural disasters, fires, heat waves and drought are hitting France hard this year. It is not yet possible to assess the short-term financial consequences and the investments to be made in the future, but this should not distract attention from the current economic challenges and the responses that need to be provided to them, particularly in the run-up to the next presidential election.

INSEE has published its estimate of growth in the 2nd quarter (0%), i.e. a timid rebound compared to the slight decline observed in the 1st quarter (-0.2%), which prevents France from entering a recession. But ...

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The National Bureau of Statistics in Beijing has just published the figures for the 2nd quarter of 2026 of the Chinese economy. Year-on-year growth was 4.3% after 5% in the 1st quarter, i.e., over the 1st half of the year, a pace of 4.7% in the range between 4.5 and 5% which is the authorities' target for 2026. The only figure that caught the attention of commentators was 4.3%, pointing out that it is one of the lowest levels in recent decades. It was interpreted as a sign of the difficulties that the country would ...

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