What if France’s growth was much lower than expected in 2019?

Most forecasters - public and private - expect growth of around 1.7% in France in 2019, i.e. roughly the same as in 2018. But we believe the risk is that growth may turn out to be much lower, as this decent growth forecas t overlooks the effects on growth of the lik ely rise in oil prices, companies’ severe hiring difficulties, the overall slowdown in the global economy, the reduction in public spending, the downturn in house construction and the Italian crisis.