France in April 2026: the most important developments in economy
France's economy in April 2026 was shaped by the Iran war and the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz. On 3 April a French-owned CMA CGM container ship passed through the strait, the first French commercial vessel to do so since the conflict began. President Emmanuel Macron said more than 15 countries plan to help restore traffic, confirmed a conference with the UK on freedom of navigation, and on 17 April he and Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the strait's reopening. Fuel supplies remained a concern: nearly one in five petrol stations reported shortages on 7 April, the International Energy Agency chief warned that Europe has about six weeks of jet fuel left, and France began storing natural gas for winter. On 25 April Macron said France faces no fuel shortage and pushed for shared EU debt to finance the energy transition. The government offered loans to small businesses hit by fuel costs, and France borrowed at its highest rates in 15 years.
TotalEnergies reported a surge in first-quarter profit, raised shareholder returns, and said it kept production going. Its chief executive warned of an oil shortage within months if the blockade continues. A minister urged the company to redistribute its windfall profits and the government is considering a tax on them, while the company's workers struck over fuel prices.
Other companies felt the effects. LVMH, Hermès and Pernod Ricard reported that the war is hurting sales, and luxury shares fell. Airbus missed profit estimates on 28 April as deliveries slowed amid an engine shortage, and Amparo Moraleda became its chair. Alstom shares fell more than 30 percent on delivery delays, and Renault is cutting engineering jobs.
On 20 April Elon Musk did not appear at a Paris hearing over AI-generated deepfakes on X. France also moved 129 tonnes of gold back from the New York Federal Reserve, and Moody's left its credit rating unchanged at Aa3.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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