France Q3 GDP falls 0.1% QoQ vs 0.1% growth expected

A contraction where flat-to-modest growth was expected puts France out of step with the mild expansion the euro area has been posting, and the back-to-back stall across two quarters suggests momentum was already fading before the third quarter. Because France is the bloc's second-largest economy, its weakness feeds directly into euro-area aggregates and into the policy debate over how much support the region still needs. The open question is whether this is a one-quarter air pocket or the start of a broader slowdown, and whether upcoming euro-area data echo it.