Nothing goes well for Brazil: failed growth, rising inflation, scandals, Moody’s degradation of Petrobras, the country’s most important company. Such is the situation endured by the star of the BRICS - concept coined by Goldman Sachs ten years ago to characterize the new locomotives of the world economy: B as Brazil, R as Russia, I as India, C, of ​​course, as China and S as South Africa, subsequently added to take into account the African continent. The concept did not survive the crisis. China is the only one to keep up its development, albeit at a slower pace. Retrospectively ...

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2014 was deeply disappointing. The economy did not achieve the hoped-for recovery and unemployment reached a record level despite the increase of subsidized jobs and the massive transfers for companies, so that they could invest and recruit. How does 2015 look like?

France will benefit from a favourable economic environment. The sharp drop in industrial raw materials prices  (iron-ore:  - 40%, natural rubber:  - 30%, textile fibers:  - 12%) and in oil prices will lead to a 30 billion euros reduction of its foreign bill. Industrial companies will recover their margins, and households will increase their purchasing power. In the past (1986, 1998 ...

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Is the drop in oil prices a temporary phenomenon resulting from exceptional political circumstances and a depressed global growth or, conversely, does it prefigure a sustainable return to cheap fossil fuels ? The second hypothesis appears more likely. The causes of the current collapse are identified. The producing countries gathered in OPEC had to face higher supply in a less favourable economic context. They could not agree with each other in order to support prices.

The United States had clearly opted for lower oil prices: this strategy amplifies the impact of economic sanctions to force Moscow to give up its territorial ...

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