France: Economic sentiment drops in April
Latest reading: Economic sentiment dropped to 91.4 in April, following March’s 94.4. The latest reading was below the long-term average of 100, pointing to a muted near-term outlook for the economy and the lowest since June 2025. The prolonged unrest in the Middle East and consequent rise in domestic energy prices was likely to blame.
In April, sentiment worsened in the industrial sector (-8.4 vs -7.9 in March), the construction sector (-18.0 vs -16.4 in March), the services sector (-5.6 vs -4.3 in March) and among consumers (-21.8 vs -17.2 in March). On the flipside, sentiment improved in the retail sector (-14.8 vs -15.0 in March).