French Consumers Drive Economy, Trade Gap
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The French economy surged ahead in the fourth quarter of 2004 but missed the government's growth target, and high oil prices and consumer demand for imports pushed trade into the red for the first time in four years.
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LONDON  - A global survey of consumer confidence released Wednesday suggests European consumers are generally pessimistic about the economic outlook for the next 12 months, people in the Asia-Pacific are optimistic and Americans lie somewhere in between.
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Exports of Bordeaux wine rose last year, making viticulturists in France optimistic about the prospect of a bounceback in the sector.
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France's economy had a growth spurt in the fourth quarter, according to figures published Friday, but its trade balance lurched into deficit in 2004 as the strong euro helped imports outpace exports.
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PARIS, June 10 -- French voters reinforced President Nicolas Sarkozy's mandate for major reform of the nation's moribund economy and government, giving his ruling party and its allies an estimated 46 percent of the vote in Sunday's first round of parliamentary elections, according to nearly compl...
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The European economy slowed significantly in the second quarter as spending lagged, official reports showed on Tuesday, and economists expected growth in the region to be soft into early next year as consumers ...
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The US trade gap narrowed to a four-month low in July helped by car and food sales, official data shows.
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French industrial output recovered more than expected in July, led by a big surge in car production.
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Consumers  --  who play an important role in shaping economic activity  --  spent briskly in October, an encouraging sign that the final quarter of 2004 is getting off to a decent start. Incomes rose sharply.
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Flat-screen televisions sold like hot cakes in France last year but shoppers shunned new cars as overall household consumption grew by 2.1 percent, the national statistics institute INSEE said Tuesday.
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Europe appears to be on the brink of a period of sustained economic growth but it is essential that governments step up the pace of structural reform, the French central bank chief has said.
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The U.S. trade deficit soared to a record of &#36;617.7 billion last year as Americans' appetite for all things foreign, from crude oil to cars, hit all-time highs. The United States even rang up a deficit in farm goods as imports of wine, cheese and other food products hit a record.
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France's growth rate may fall short of government forecasts in 2005, crimped by slowing exports and consumer spending, the national statistics office said.
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French economic growth is expected to dip slightly to 2.1 percent this year from 2.2 percent in 2006, still well below the eurozone average, the national statistics institute INSEE said Friday.
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Prospects for a vibrant eurozone economic recovery took a hammering as France joined Germany in reporting flagging momentum and the EU commission trimmed its growth forecast.
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French consumer confidence soared to a five-year high in May on optimism about jobs and incomes, official figures showed Thursday, a surge analysts attributed to the election of reformist President Nicolas Sarkozy.
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French consumer confidence worsened in December, the official statistics agency Insee said Thursday, a further sign of trouble for the country's faltering economy.