Economic growth in France stagnated in the second quarter of 2016.
The official figures from the country’s statistics bureau Insee were called “disappointing” by the finance ministry.
There was no change in the three months to June, despite hopes that the economy would register some expansion. Insee had forecast 0.3% growth and the Bank of France 0.2%.
The finance ministry nonetheless said it was keeping its growth forecast of 1.5% for the year.
Consumer spending was down, including on food. Services and investment both fell and the construction sector weakened.
At the same time, there was a sharp downturn in imports of manufactured goods and oil products.
