The French economy's Macron bubble is bursting

Cheap debt and a luxury boom have flattered the French economy. That streak of luck is running out.

Emmanuel Macron President of the Republic of France at a press conference after the end of the 2 day European Council and Euro Summit the EU leaders meeting at the headquarters of the European Union The French President does a statement and responds to questions from journalists from international media and press EU leaders and heads of states have on their agenda to discuss on the 2day summit the topics of the humanitarian pauses in Israels war with Hamas push for humanitarian aid corridors into besieged Gaza the support to Ukraine after Russias invasion economy and the migration crisis situation EUCO in Brussels Belgium on 27 October 2023 Photo by Nicolas EconomouNurPhoto via Getty Images
(Image credit: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Over the last few weeks, the outlook for many French companies has deteriorated dramatically. The Altice empire, put together by billionaire Patrick Drahi, is in big trouble, ensnared in a corruption scandal, and raising emergency cash to stay afloat. Among other assets, its 24.5% stake in BT may have to be sold off, and its shares are down by almost 60% over the past year.

Last week, shares in Worldline, the payments firm that is one of the biggest tech businesses in France, crashed by 60% as it warned about its profits for the year ahead. One of the country’s few high-tech champions, even if it dates back to the 1970s, is failing badly. 

It’s not looking much better at the drinks giant Rémy Cointreau. Over the last few months, its shares have slumped to their lowest level in 15 years due to poor sales amid a slowing global economy. Meanwhile, luxury goods empire LVMH is on the slide, with its shares down by a quarter in the last six months as demand from China slips. 

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Matthew Lynn

Matthew Lynn is a columnist for Bloomberg, and writes weekly commentary syndicated in papers such as the Daily Telegraph, Die Welt, the Sydney Morning Herald, the South China Morning Post and the Miami Herald. He is also an associate editor of Spectator Business, and a regular contributor to The Spectator. Before that, he worked for the business section of the Sunday Times for ten years. 

He has written books on finance and financial topics, including Bust: Greece, The Euro and The Sovereign Debt Crisis and The Long Depression: The Slump of 2008 to 2031. Matthew is also the author of the Death Force series of military thrillers and the founder of Lume Books, an independent publisher.