Latest news with #INSEE
LeMonde
03-08-2025
- LeMonde
The barriers preventing French people from going on vacation
"I feel like going away is almost an obligation, but thankfully my kids are not demanding and there are plenty of things we still haven't done in Angers," said Sarah (pseudonym), a 32-year-old medical secretary, as she enjoyed free activities with her children at "Summer at the Lake," a program organized by the municipality, on Wednesday, July 16. There was a baby gymnastics course for her youngest, as well as archery and table tennis stands for her two older children. She plans to spend her summer vacation in the city where she lives. "I'd like to go away, but it's too expensive!" she said. According to a study by the Research Center for the Study and Observation of Living Conditions (CREDOC), in 2023, 40% of French people did not leave their city for at least four consecutive nights during their vacation, mainly for financial reasons. In early 2024, 21% of the population had reported, according to the INSEE (France's national statistics institute), that they could not afford to leave for at least a week of vacation. These levels are similar to those recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Reuters
31-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
French preliminary inflation at 0.9% in July, slightly above forecast
July 31 (Reuters) - French consumer prices rose slightly more than anticipated in July, preliminary data from statistics agency INSEE showed on Thursday. France's harmonised inflation rate, adjusted for comparison with other euro zone countries, was +0.9% year-on-year in July. A Reuters poll of 18 analysts had on average expected a rate of +0.8%, with estimates ranging from +0.4% to +1.0%.
Fibre2Fashion
31-07-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
Moderate French GDP growth in Q2 2025; foreign trade's role negative
French gross domestic product (GDP) in volume terms accelerated moderately in the second quarter (Q2) this year, increasing by 0.3 per cent quarter on quarter (QoQ), after a 0.1-per cent QoQ rise in Q1, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE). Final domestic demand (excluding inventories) was sluggish (zero contribution to growth, minus 0.1 points in Q1 2025). Household consumption rebounded by 0.1 per cent in Q2 2025 after a 0.3-per cent drop in Q1, while gross fixed capital formation continued to fall—minus 0.3 per cent in Q2 after minus 0.1 per cent in Q1. French GDP in volume terms accelerated moderately in Q2 2025, increasing by 0.3 per cent quarter on quarter (QoQ), after a 0.1-per cent QoQ rise in Q1, official data show. Final domestic demand (excluding inventories) was sluggish (zero contribution to growth, minus 0.1 points in Q1 2025). Foreign trade kept contributing negatively to GDP growth in Q2 2025â€'minus 0.2 points after minus 0.5 points. Foreign trade kept contributing negatively to GDP growth in Q2 2025—minus 0.2 points after minus 0.5 points. Exports rebounded slightly by 0.2 per cent QoQ in Q2 after a 1.1-per cent drop in Q1, while imports accelerated by 0.8 per cent QoQ in the quarter after a 0.3-per cent rise in the preceding quarter. Finally, changes in inventories made once again a positive contribution to GDP this quarter: plus 0.5 points after plus 0.7 points in Q1 2025, an INSEE release said. Production in the manufacturing industry slowed in Q2 2025 to a 0.1-per cent rise QoQ after a 0.5-per cent QoQ increase in Q1. It continued to fall sharply in refineries (minus 10.6 per cent after minus 3.5 per cent in Q1) as a result of maintenance shutdowns at several sites in April and May. Energy consumption fell sharply by 2.4 per cent after a 0.8-per cent rise in Q1 2025. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
LeMonde
30-07-2025
- Business
- LeMonde
French economy posts timid, deceptive rebound in the second quarter of 2025
The French economy proved more resilient than expected in the second quarter of 2025. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth, according to figures published by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) on Wednesday, July 30, stood at 0.3%, up from 0.1% in the first quarter. This represents the country's best quarterly performance since the third quarter of 2024. "It's good news," said Economy Minister Eric Lombard, speaking on RTL radio Wednesday morning. "The 0.3% growth we saw in the second quarter clearly shows that, at a time when the tariffs were already in effect, companies are holding up" against the shock of the trade war. The statistics, however, tell a somewhat different story. Final domestic demand, which includes both household consumption and business investment, was flat in the second quarter after a slight decline of 0.1% in the first. The domestic French economy was, therefore, stagnant throughout the first half of the year. "The figures aren't good, demand is weak, consumption is stabilizing," said Maxime Darmet, an economist at Allianz Trade. "There is no strong drive" in the French economy, added Stéphane Colliac, an economist at BNP Paribas. The only truly positive factor came from companies' inventories, which contributed 0.5 percentage points to growth. "It is, above all, inventories that explain the second quarter growth," said Marie Leclair, head of the national accounts department at INSEE. Foreign trade, meanwhile, had a negative impact on growth, with imports rising faster (+0.8%) than exports did (+0.2%). Unusually high savings The slight growth rebound in the second quarter was therefore primarily due to technical factors. Nevertheless, it should allow annual growth to slightly exceed the INSEE's forecast of 0.6% for 2025, possibly reaching 0.7%, according to Leclair. Looking at the details, household consumption remained weak, growing 0.1% after having dropped by 0.3% in the first quarter. Even this slight improvement was deceptive: It was partly driven by food consumption, as Easter fell in April in 2025, thereby counting toward the second quarter, whereas it came in March in 2024, thereby being recorded in the first quarter. The only real piece of good news was a strong rebound in the service sector (+0.6%), particularly in the hotel and hospitality sectors.
Local France
30-07-2025
- Business
- Local France
France's economic growth picks up in second quarter
Gross domestic product in the eurozone's second-largest economy grew by 0.3 percent between April and June compared, with 0.1 percent growth in the first quarter, coming in slightly higher than the forecast of 0.2 percent growth, according to data released by the INSEE statistics agency. With the international business climate uncertain due to the trade war launched by the United States in April, foreign trade made a negative contribution of 0.2 percent to overall gross domestic product (GDP). That was an improvement from the 0.5 percent in the first three months of the year, with a slight recovery of exports outweighed by a faster acceleration of imports. France's Economy Minister Eric Lombard described the figures as good news that showed French companies were resilient to US tariff hikes, some of which have already gone into effect. 'The 0.3 percent growth that we had in the second quarter, when tariffs were already in force, clearly shows that they are holding up in this situation,' he said on RTL radio. Household spending flipped from being a drag to a contributor to growth, by 0.1 percent, mostly due to additional food purchases. 'This recovery can be explained notably by the positioning of Easter at the end of April and favourable weather in April and May,' said INSEE in a statement. Advertisement A growth in inventories also made a positive 0.5 percent contribution to growth in the second quarter, after 0.7 percent in the first three months of the year. Inventories are finished goods that have not been sold at the end of the period. They can be a positive signal if companies are anticipating demand, or they can indicate that manufacturers are having trouble finding buyers. The gains in second quarter inventories were mostly due to the aerospace and auto industries. Without the gain in inventories, domestic demand would have been flat.
