French bond spreads: a warning sign for Europe?

France has moved back to the centre of investors' attention. Concerns over the country's fiscal outlook, rising debt burden and increasingly fragmented political landscape have prompted markets to demand a higher premium for holding French assets, pushing the spread between French and German government bonds to levels not seen since the eurozone sovereign debt crisis. In this episode, Amelie Chowna, Head of Fixed Income Strategic Initiatives is joined by Simon Bell, Fund Manager; Marc Rovers, Head of European Credit; and Robert Griffiths, Global Equity Strategist, to discuss why investors are suddenly paying attention to France, whether recent market moves reflect country-specific risks or a broader global bond sell-off, and why equity and credit investors should care about what appears to be a sovereign debt story. This was recorded on 13 October 2026. All data sourced from LSEG as of 13 October 2026, unless otherwise stated. For professional investors only. Capital at risk. Securities mentioned for illustrative purposes only. Assumptions, opinions and estimates are for illustrative purposes only and are subject to change. There is no guarantee that any forecast or projection will be realised.