The French economy saw a surprisingly robust performance in the second quarter, with 0.5 percent growth that exceeded forecasts, official data showed on Friday. The figure was well above the INSEE statistics office’s own forecast of 0.1 percent growth for April to June compared to the first quarter, and better than expected by analysts. The strong showing came despite a fall in household consumption in the period as shoppers struggled with inflation but was boosted by exports, the manufacturing industry and energy production. In further positive news, year-on-year inflation in July dropped to 4.3 percent, mostly due to falling energy prices and cooling food inflation, after running at more than six percent earlier this year, INSEE added.—AFP
