French Economy Still On Track For 5% Growth This Year: Central Bank

• The French economy is still on course to rebound 5% this year despite the uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic, the head of the central bank said on Tuesday, reiterating its December forecast.
• The euro zone's second-biggest economy suffered its deepest post-war recession last year, with gross domestic product contracting 8.3% due to the coronavirus outbreak and measures to contain it, including two national lockdowns.
• "I can confirm our forecast for 5% growth for the whole of 2021. It's robust and rather cautious while reflecting of course the great uncertainty around the health situation," Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau said.
• Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has built the 2021 budget on a forecast for 6% growth this year, although he has in recent weeks indicated that might be a stretch.

(Source: Reuters)