Business · Economy · 32 mins ago
French Consumer Confidence Falls to 13-Year Low After Riots
French consumer confidence hit a 13-year low in October.
The drop reflects how households in France felt about conditions facing them.
Households faced several shocks, including a selloff in the bond market.
Protests also descended into rioting, adding to the pressures named as weighing on confidence.
Consumer confidence is a measure of how people view economic conditions.
The sources give no next steps or further details about what may happen to confidence.
French consumer confidence fell five points to 80 in October, its lowest level since June 2013, according to INSEE.
The decline came amid protests that escalated into violence and looting, as well as a selloff in French government bonds.
The October reading was below economists’ expectations of about 85 and well below the long-term average of 100.
Households reported greater concern about their financial situations, living standards and unemployment.
The survey’s results may not capture the full effect of the unrest because most responses were collected early in the survey period.
- Who
- French households, as measured by INSEE’s consumer confidence survey.
- What
- Consumer confidence fell five points to 80, its lowest level since June 2013.
- When
- October 2026; INSEE released the figure on October 27.
- Where
- France.
- Why
- The sources link the fall to multiple shocks, including protests that escalated into rioting, a bond market selloff and worries about household finances and unemployment.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Student demonstrations began in suburban Paris over school conditions and broadened into protests against the government’s economic policies.
Violence broke out around cost-of-living demonstrations, with looting and thousands of arrests reported.
INSEE’s survey cut-off fell on this date, though most responses were collected earlier in the three-week survey period.
The government announced plans to change university place allocation, limit some class sizes and provide loans for building renovations.
INSEE reported that consumer confidence had fallen five points to 80 in October.
- October consumer confidence
- 80
- Change from September
- Down 5 points
- Lowest level since
- June 2013
- Economists’ expected reading
- About 85
- Long-term average
- 100, from January 1987 to December 2025
5 sources
Situation financière inquiétante, hausse des prix, inquiétudes liées au chômage et à l'inflation... La confiance des ménages en octobre au plus bas depuis juin 2013, selon l'Insee
La fiducia dei consumatori francesi crolla ai minimi da 13 anni
Inflation, chômage… La confiance des ménages français tombée au plus bas depuis juin 2013 en octobre, selon l’Insee
French consumer confidence hits a 2013 low in October amid protests
French Consumer Confidence Drops to 13-Year Low After Riots
What people are saying
Weak sentiment is likely to weigh on spending as political uncertainty increases. This brings further downside risks to our fourth-quarter growth forecast.