French Consumer Confidence Plunges to 13-Year Low as Riots and Bond Selloff Shake Outlook

French consumer confidence fell to 80 in October 2026, its lowest reading since June 2013, sharply missing the consensus estimate of 85. The drop marks one of the steepest single-month declines in recent years and reflects a severe deterioration in the public mood.

The collapse in sentiment follows nationwide protests and rioting that brought hundreds of thousands of people into the streets. France's Interior Ministry counted around 410,000 participants nationwide on one Saturday alone, while the CGT union federation put the Paris turnout at 250,000. Clashes broke out in Paris and Marseille as luxury boutiques were looted and public buildings were damaged.

The unrest compounds an already fragile fiscal picture. French government bond yields have risen to their highest level since 2002, a 24-year high, as investors grow increasingly skeptical that the government can deliver planned budget savings amid political and social disruption. Moody's maintained its Aa3 sovereign rating on France but kept a negative outlook, citing the increased risk of fiscal slippage. With far-right and far-left candidates leading polls ahead of spring presidential elections, markets see little prospect that either camp will take the steps needed to rein in the country's deficit.