Are euro-zone and French companies actually doing well?

There is often concern about the situation of European and French companies: should we fear a wave of bankruptcies and job losses and a lasting weakness in investment? In this Flash we argue that companies in the euro zone and in France are doing quite well, if we consider them overall: Companies' debt net of cash has decreased; Default rates are falling and ratings are improving; Companies' profitability and profit margins are recovering rapidly, all the more easily as growth is picking up sharply at the end of the second quarter of 2021, and hourly productivity is already growing strongly.