The powerful political and geopolitical consequences of the conflict in the Middle East will extend far beyond the more immediate ones that this scenario aims to identify. This conflict is not an isolated incident, but rather it is part of a series of supply shocks (the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine, Houthi attacks) that highlight critical dependencies on a few key chokepoints (eg, commodities...

The UK economy, still bearing the marks of the 2022 energy crisis, is confronting a fresh external supply shock stemming from the war in the Middle East. The economic situation prior to this conflict was fragile: GDP growth was still very modest in the second half of 2025; the unemployment rate had risen; and a surge in inflation eroded the household purchasing power against a backdrop of subdued wage...

Open and tightly integrated into international trade, Asian countries are exposed to the disruption caused by the ongoing conflict in the Gulf. Most of them have reacted quickly, worrying about the impact of the war on energy supplies and trade flows. 

In an uncertain environment posing challenges to competitiveness and unable to rely on external demand, European economies are managing to accelerate activity at a pace in line with their potential. Whether through measures to facilitate disinflation or support for private and public investment, fiscal stimulus is coming to the rescue, while central banks are taking a break, with inflation fully under...

It may appear surprising that the spectacular abduction by the United States of Nicolás Maduro – a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter – has unleashed only the faintest of financial shockwaves. Not only did markets easily absorb this event, they immediately wanted to know what would happen next. There has been no massive flight to safe assets, no financial dislocation, no lasting pressure on...

Against a backdrop of ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, but with the US trade fog lifting, growth rates are expected to remain steady or even pick up. Fiscal measures will contribute to this resilience in a variety of ways: from tax cuts in the US to aggressive fiscal policy in Japan, via Keynesian stimulus in the UK and spending linked to the NGEU plan on the one hand and the German recovery on the...

Against a backdrop of global growth that has been surprisingly resilient, Western European economies are showing resilience, albeit at varying rates. The economies at the core of the Eurozone, particularly Germany, are showing sluggish growth at best, while the Iberian economies are being buoyed by strong private consumption and investment, the latter supported by funds from the European Recovery and...

The past quarter has contributed to heighten uncertainty over the growth trajectories of the major economies, which are facing a global shock to confidence and a reorganisation of their relative competitiveness. The American exceptionalism of growth that has long been above potential, even under the influence of a restrictive monetary policy, has been called into question by the new trade policy, which...

There were already many risks, both economic and geopolitical, influencing our scenario, both in terms of cyclical inflections and structural aspects. Compounding these risks, Israel’s attack on Iran on 13 June constitutes an unprecedented escalation in terms of its scale and its severity. This act marks a strategic turning point for the region.

Our scenario, already rocked by recently fickle...

Economic activity declined slightly in France in Q4 2024 (-0.1% q/q), after +0.4% in Q3. This slight decline can be explained by a negative backlash after the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games (OPG), which supported activity by +0.2 percentage point (pp) in Q3. Annual growth therefore stood at 1.1% in 2024, stable compared to 2023.
In Q1 2025, growth is expected to be low but positive (+0.2% q/q), and...