What consequences of life insurance rules and of the rejection of funded pensions in France and the euro zone?
In France and the euro zone (we use a comparison with the United States), there is a rejection of shareholding by households (because of their high risk aversion and for ideological reasons , leading to the choice of pay-as-you-go pensions) combined with life insurance regulations that reduce the weight of equities in insurers’ portfolios. As total demand for equities in France and the euro zone is therefore weak, we can expect to see, compared with the United States for example: Corporate financing more via debt than via equities, which is the case; Strong non-resident ownership of companies, which is also the case. These two consequences of the rejection of equities in France and the euro zone are clearly negative: companies’ higher debt leverage weakens them financially; corporate governance is dictated by their foreign shareholders.