French Consumer Confidence Tumbles to Lowest Since Mid-2013 Amid Growing Financial Concerns

06:52 AM EDT, 10/27/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Consumer confidence in France fell to its lowest level since June 2013, with households' opinion on their personal financial situation and future ability to save deteriorating month over month in October 2026. The household confidence indicator stood at 80 points in October, down from the revised 85 points in September and still below the long-term average of 100 points, Insee said in its latest consumer confidence survey published Tuesday. The latest figure came in lower than the consensus estimate of 85 points. Consumers' balance of opinion on their past financial situation sank to -32 points from -26 points, while the balance on future financial situation dropped to -24 points from -15 points. "The proportion of households believing it is a good time, in the current economic situation, to make major purchases has fallen back. The corresponding balance of opinion has lost four points, and has moved away from its long-term average," according to the national statistics agency, noting the related indicator's drop to -41 points. In terms of saving capacity, households' view on their future ability to save further deteriorated to 12 points from 15 points, whereas the balance of opinion on current ability to save remained stable at 17 points. The proportion of households that think it is a good idea to save also worsened, with the related indicator moving down to 37 points in October from the previous month's 43 points. On the jobs front, households' unemployment expectations rose to 61 points from 56 points, indicating a renewed increase in fears over unemployment prospects.