France Confirms 0.6% GDP Growth

France’s GDP grew by 0.6% in the first quarter after a rise in corporate profit margins and strong household spending, official figures show.

Corporate profit margins rose to 31.1%, the highest since the first quarter of 2011, after a cut in payroll tax.

The official figures by INSEE were a further sign of economy recovery, Finance Minister Michel Sapin said.

The French economy saw roughly 0.4% growth in 2013 and 2014, after stagnating in 2012.

The rise in first-quarter gross domestic product was in line with a preliminary estimate by the French statistics office.

“INSEE confirmed the good growth figures of the first quarter, which show a recovery is underway and bolsters the government’s 1% growth target for this year,” Mr Sapin said.

Profit margins for French companies were the worst in the eurozone in 2012, and the government had pinned its recovery hopes on expectations that businesses would resume investing.

“The new margins must allow businesses to invest and hire,” Mr Sapin added.

BBC

Content is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc. or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. If you would like to reproduce or redistribute any of the content found on MarketPulse, an award winning forex, commodities and global indices analysis and news site service produced by OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc., please access the RSS feed or contact us at info@marketpulse.com. Visit https://www.marketpulse.com/ to find out more about the beat of the global markets. © 2023 OANDA Business Information & Services Inc.

Former Craig

Former Craig

Former Senior Market Analyst, UK & EMEA at OANDA
Based in London, Craig Erlam joined OANDA in 2015 as a market analyst. With many years of experience as a financial market analyst and trader, he focuses on both fundamental and technical analysis while producing macroeconomic commentary. His views have been published in the Financial Times, Reuters, The Telegraph and the International Business Times, and he also appears as a regular guest commentator on the BBC, Bloomberg TV, FOX Business and SKY News. Craig holds a full membership to the Society of Technical Analysts and is recognised as a Certified Financial Technician by the International Federation of Technical Analysts.