France Manufacturers
There may be some good news for the French economy. Industrial investment is set to rise seven per cent in 2015, bosses have told the official statistics institute Insee in a rare piece of good news for President Francois Hollande's government.
There may be some good news for the French economy. Industrial investment is set to rise seven per cent in 2015, bosses have told the official statistics institute Insee in a rare piece of good news for President Francois Hollande's government.
Employers told the
authoritative Insee statistics body that they are planning to
raise investment in industry by seven per cent over the course of 2015 in a
break with the ambient pessimism
that has dogged the French economy for several years.
Finance Minister Michel Sapin leapt on the news to hail a sign of
recovery and of the success of the government's economic policy.
The forecast is four points higher than in January when the Insee
carried out its last survey.
The most optimistic
sector is transport, where bosses have raised their investment forecast by nine
points, while agribusiness upped its by four points.
But capital equipment manufacturers struck a dissonant note, lowering their forecast by two points.
Since other industries
should invest in their products to expand production, that may undermine the
other predictions.
French growth this year
was already predicted to make a timid recovery, due to the weakness of the
euro, cheap oil and favourable loans.
If the investment really
does take place, that could finally mean a reduction in the country's record
unemployment levels.
source: http://www.english.rfi.fr/