(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milano, 30 apr - French gross domestic product (GDP) in volume terms was flat in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the fourth quarter, when GDP rose 0.2%, according to a preliminary reading by the statistics office Insee.

Final domestic demand, excluding inventories, was "sluggish," Insee noted.

Household consumption declined 0.1% in the first quarter after rising 0.4% in the fourth quarter, and gross fixed capital formation fell 0.4% after growing 0.3%. Overall, the contribution of domestic demand, excluding inventories, to GDP growth was zero this quarter, after contributing 0.4 points in the previous quarter.

The contribution of foreign trade to growth was "strongly negative" in the first quarter, erasing 0.7 points after contributing 0.6 points. Exports fell 3.8% after rising 0.8%, while imports declined 1.7% after falling 0.8%.

Finally, the contribution of inventory changes to GDP growth was "strongly positive" in the quarter, after contributing.

0.8 points after erasing 0.7 points in the fourth quarter.

(RADIOCOR) 30-04-26 08:29:54 (0193) 5 NNNN