This weekend has seen a further escalation in the Gilet Jaune or yellow jacket protest in France. This has so unsettled Bloomberg that it is running a piece suggesting it could happen in the UK perhaps as a way of mollifying the bankers it has suggested should go to Paris. However, let us dodge the politics as far as we can as there is a much simpler economic focus and it is inflation. From the Financial Times.
Mr Macron introduced the increases in fuel taxes last year, as part of a package intended to attract investment and revitalise economic growth. They were also intended to support his ambition of setting France on course to ban sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2040. The tax is rising more sharply for diesel fuel, to bring it into line with the tax on petrol, as Mr Macron’s government argues that the advantage it has enjoyed is unjustified. Since the Volkswagen emissions scandal, it has become more widely accepted that diesel vehicles do not have the advantage in environmental impact over petrol engines, although manufacturers are still defending the technology.
Let us analyse what we have been told. How do you revitalise economic growth by raising costs via higher taxes? Perhaps if that was your intention via this move you would reduce taxes on petrol instead of at least reduce petrol taxes by the same amount you raise the diesel ones. As to the point about diesel engines I agree as I am the owner of what I was told was a clean diesel but has turned out to be something polluting both my and other Londoners lungs. Not President Macron’s fault of course as that was way before he came into power and of course he is the French President. But no doubt they encouraged purchases of diesel vehicles ( by the lower tax if nothing else) as we note that when the establishment is wrong it “corrects” matters by making the ordinary person pay. This especially hits people in rural France who rely on diesel based transport.
The details of the extra tax are show by Connexions France from October 2017.
Tax on diesel will rise 2.6 cents per litre every year for the next four years, after MPs voted in favour of the government’s draft budget for 2018.
As this from the BBC shows this is as well as higher taxes on petrol.
the Macron government raised its hydrocarbon tax this year by 7.6 cents per litre on diesel and 3.9 cents on petrol, as part of a campaign for cleaner cars and fuel.
The decision to impose a further increase of 6.5 cents on diesel and 2.9 cents on petrol on 1 January 2019 was seen as the final straw.
If we look at the November CPI data for France we see that it is at 1.9% but is being pulled higher by the energy sector which has annual inflation of 11.9%. In a piece of top trolling Insee tells us this.
After seven months of consecutive rise, energy prices should fall back, in the wake of petroleum product prices.
If we look at this via my inflation theme we see that as well as energy inflation being 11.3% that food inflation is 5%. So whilst central bankers may dismiss that as non-core and wonder what is going on? We can see perhaps why the ordinary person might think otherwise. Especially if they like carrots.
Vegetable prices rose by 15.2% over one year with prices going up for salads (+15.6%), endives (+19.5%), carrots (+76.7%) and leeks (+54.2%). In contrast, tomato prices went down by 12.3% over one year. ( Insee October agricultural prices)
Manufacturing
This morning saw the monthly series of Markit purchasing manager’s indices on manufacturing published.
November data pointed to the softest improvement in French manufacturing operating conditions for 26 months. The latest results reflected falling new orders and job shedding…….Manufacturing output was unchanged since October. That said, the latest reading represented stabilisation following a drop in production in the previous month.
It used to be the case that Markit was downbeat on France but these days it is very cheery. If we look at the last two months then production is lower as are jobs and new orders yet we are told this is an improvement! In reality the zone 49-51 represents unchanged and 50.8 is in that, although I do note that the 53.1 of the UK is apparently “lacklustre”. Anyway here is the view of the French situation.
However, any negativity towards unchanged output could be misplaced given it represented stabilisation after October’s decline.
Moving to prices they hinted that the protests might not be about to end any time soon.
On the price front, input costs continued to rise in
November. The rate of inflation was the strongest for nine
months, following two successive accelerations. Panellists
overwhelmingly blamed higher cost burdens on increased
raw material prices.
Survey respondents noted that part of the additional cost
burden was passed onto customers, with charges rising
solidly again in November.
Official data
On Friday we saw that September seems to have seen a slow down in the French economy.
In September 2018, the sales volume in overall trade fell back sharply (−2.1%) after an increase in August (+1.8%)…..In September 2018, the turnover turned down sharply in the manufacturing industry (−2.3%) after a strong increase in August (+2.8%). It also went down in industry as a whole (−1.9% after +2.8% in August)……In September 2018, output in services was stable after a strong increase in August (+2.9%).
As you can see all measures saw weakening in September and eyes will be on the services sector. This is because whilst the national accounts do not present it like this the 1% growth for the sector was what made it a better quarter. So let us also dig into the situation further.
According to business managers surveyed in November 2018, the business climate in services is stable. At 103, it remains above its long-term average (100).
Otherwise, the indicator of October 2018 has been revised downward by two points because of late businesses’ answers that have been taken into account.
Considering this revision, the turning point indicator stands henceforth in the area indicating an unfavourable short-term economic situation.
The Bank of France remains optimistic however.
According to the monthly index of business activity (MIBA),
GDP is expected to increase by 0.4% in the fourth
quarter of 2018 (first estimate).
Comment
We often discuss the similarities between France and the UK but the ECB has this morning given us another insight, as according to its capital key France is virtually unchanged in relative terms over the past five years if we look at GDP and population combined. I will leave readers to decide for themselves if the Euro area average is good or bad as you mull the official view.
Our #EUROat20 event gets under way at 09:30! Watch live via @ecfin and come take some photos at our photo booth with the cake 🎉🎂🙂 pic.twitter.com/6SbkoTUX6U
— Philip Tod 🇪🇺 (@TodPhilip) December 3, 2018
Switching back to France it has not been a great year economy wise even if the Bank of France is correct about this quarter. But its establishment seems to be up to the games of those elsewhere whilst is to push its policies via punishment ( higher taxes ) rather than encouragement. These days though more have seen through this and hence the current troubles.
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