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☆ Iran's new president may be a reformist, but change remains distant
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Newly-elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visits to the shrine of the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran, Iran on July 06, 2024. Fatemeh Bahrami | Anadolu | Getty ImagesIran on Friday elected its first "reformist" president in 20 years, signaling many voters' rejection of hardline conservative policies amid low turnout of just 49%, according to official figures. Iran's sole reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili are set to go to runoffs after securing the highest number of votes in Iran's presidential election, the interior ministry said. "This is why many Iranians have lost hope in bringing about change through the ballot boxes and are boycotting elections." "The core structure of Iran's theocratic regime, where a Supreme Leader's authority eclipses that of any president, will remain steadfastly intact… In essence, Iran's theocracy is designed to resist meaningful change."

Persons: Masoud Pezeshkian, Ruhollah Khomeini, Fatemeh, Masoud, Ibrahim Raisi, Sina, Toossi, Massoud Pezeshkian, Majid Saeedi, Mohammad Khatami, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Nader Itayim, Khamenei, Itayim, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh, Hashemi Alireza Zakani, Saeed Jalili, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Iran's, ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, Atta Kenare, Ben Taleblu, Pezeshkhian, Mahsa Amini, Amini, Mahsa, Ozan Kose, Pezeshkian's Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Center for International, CNBC, Guardian Council, Argus Media, Vehicles, Afp, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, AFP, for Human Rights, Trump Locations: Tehran, Iran, Afrasiabi, Islamic Republic, Mideast, Washington, Pezeshkian, Kurdish Iranian, Iranian, Istanbul

☆ Political Gridlock Will Raise the Economic Stakes in France
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Liz Alderman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One thing was clear after France’s surprise election results on Sunday: Any new government formed by President Emmanuel Macron would face months of political paralysis. What’s less certain is whether that gridlock will tip France’s heavily indebted economy further into distress. “Uncertainty hangs over France’s future government architecture,” said the agency, which had already downgraded France’s debt rating on May 31, rattling the government, whose economic credibility has been one of its main political assets. Should the polarization of France’s new Parliament weaken the government’s ability to mend its finances, France’s debt could be downgraded again, it added. The result left no party — including Mr. Macron’s centrist coalition — with a majority and has splintered the lower house of Parliament into three bitterly antagonistic blocs.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, ” Organizations: Rally Locations: France

☆ France's Macron wanted to leave his mark on Europe — he may have just ruined his legacy
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

He's credited with creating the European Political Community, bringing leaders from across 50 states in the region to discuss shared challenges and to coordinate joint responses. For now, Macron has rejected his current Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's resignation and on Monday asked him to stay in the post "to ensure the country's stability." Subran stressed that it was vital that Macron was aligned with the future prime minister. It hasn't paid off, and France's uncertain political outlook will likely perturb France's European partners, one French political scientist told CNBC. French President Emmanuel Macron reviews troops that will take part in the Bastille Day parade, July 2, 2024 in Paris, France.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Sebastien Salom, Emmanuel Macron's, Macron, —, Tina Fordham, it'll, Fordham, Francois Hollande, Angela Merkel, He's, Germany —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Hollande, Gabriel Attal's, Ludovic Subran, Subran, Donald, Trump, — we're, CNBC's Charlotte Reed, it's, Macron's, hasn't, Philippe Marlière, France isn't, Aurelien Organizations: Afp, Getty Images, Fordham Global Foresight, CNBC, NATO, European Union, Socialist, Political, Russia, Ukrainian, Reuters, NFP, Monday, Allianz, U.S, Republican, NurPhoto, EU, University College London Locations: gomis, Europe, France, Washington, Ukraine, Germany, Kyiv, Paris, China, Brussels, Strasbourg, Russia

☆ 'The market has played this out': Analyst says French hung parliament is priced in
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via Email'The market has played this out': Analyst says French hung parliament is priced inFrançois Digard, head of French equity research at Kepler Cheuvreux, talks about impact of French election results on markets.

Persons: Digard, Kepler

☆ 'Get Britain building again': New UK finance chief restores housing targets
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — Britain's new finance chief on Monday outlined a spate of measures to revitalize the U.K.'s languishing economic growth and address national housing shortages. "I have repeatedly warned that whoever won the general election would inherit the worst set of circumstances since the Second World War. A former Bank of England economist, Reeves was appointed as Britain's first female chancellor of the exchequer — equivalent to a finance minister — on Friday, when newly-invested Prime Minister Keir Starmer named his first cabinet. Ahead of her first speech, she championed economic growth as both a party priority and the "national mission." Housing and planning were center stage in Reeves' Monday speech:"First, we will reform the national planning policy framework, consulting on a new growth-focused approach to the planning system before the end of the month.

Persons: Rachel Reeves, Reeves, —, Keir Starmer, Housebuilding Organizations: Treasury, Labour Government, LONDON, Bank of England, Conservative, Labour Locations: London, England

☆ French President Macron’s snap election gamble 'did not pay off,' professor says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Macron had called for a new legislative nationwide vote in France after the country's far-right party made significant gains in the European Union election last month. The gamble that French President Emmanuel Macron took when he called a snap election has not paid off, according to Armin Steinbach, Jean Monnet professor of EU Law and economics at HEC Paris. Macron's centrist Ensemble bloc is set to make up the second-largest group in parliament, followed by the RN and its allies. Just because the far-right did not perform as they had hoped in this election does not mean they should be discounted for the presidential election in 2027, Steinbach added. "For today it's a loss for them, … but it doesn't tell us anything about the 2027 presidential election.

Persons: Macron, Steinbach, CNBC's Charlotte Reed, Emmanuel Macron, Armin Steinbach, Jean Monnet, Tina Fordham, CNBC's, Fordham, HEC's Steinbach Organizations: Popular Front, Interior Ministry, Union, EU Law, HEC Paris, Fordham Global Insight, European Union Locations: Paris, France, Steinbach

☆ 5 Takeaways From France’s Snap Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Adam Nossiter | Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

France’s left-wing parties surged unexpectedly in nationwide legislative elections on Sunday, denying the nationalist, anti-immigration National Rally party a majority in the lower house of Parliament. But no party appeared on track to secure an absolute majority, leaving one of Europe’s largest countries headed for gridlock or political instability. The results were compiled by The New York Times using data from the Interior Ministry, and they confirmed earlier projections showing that no single party or bloc would win a majority. Here are five takeaways from the election. 1There were two big surprises as France voted for a new Parliament in snap elections, neither one foreseen by pundits, pollsters or prognosticators.

Persons: France’s Organizations: Rally, The New York Times, Interior Ministry Locations: France

☆ Asia-Pacific markets open mixed as investors await U.S. and China inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed on Monday as investors awaited key economic data from the U.S. and China later this week, while election results in France overnight signaled a hung parliament. France's left-wing New Popular Front coalition on Sunday unexpectedly thwarted a far-right advance, clinching the largest number of seats but falling short of an absolute majority in a parliamentary run-off vote. Investors await the U.S. consumer price index reading, due Thursday stateside, to assess the Federal Reserve's interest rate path, while China's inflation figures on Wednesday will signal the state of the country's economic recovery. Central bank decisions from South Korea, New Zealand and Malaysia will also be announced this week, although no changes are expected, according to a Reuters poll of economists.

Persons: France's Organizations: Popular Front, Sunday Locations: Asia, Pacific, U.S, China, France, Central, South Korea, New Zealand, Malaysia

☆ France avoided a far-right election win — now the radical far-left is demanding power
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Founder of left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI) Jean-Luc Melenchon reacts during the election night of left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI) following the first results of the second round of France's legislative election at La Rotonde Stalingrad in Paris on July 7, 2024. After the left-wing's election success in France on Sunday, all eyes are now on radical firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon who has demanded the left be given the premiership and a chance to govern following its unexpected election win. The New Popular Front (NFP) coalition — of which Mélenchon is the self-appointed figurehead — won the largest number of seats in the second round of France's snap parliamentary election. Europe had braced itself for France's far-right to win the largest number of votes in the second round of France's snap election. French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist "Together" bloc came in second with 163 seats and the far-right National Rally and its allies won 143 seats.

Persons: Jean, Luc Melenchon, Luc Mélenchon, —, Mélenchon, Emmanuel Macron's, Gabriel Attal, Mélenchon —, Hugo Chavez, he'd Organizations: France, La Rotonde, Front, NFP, France Unbowed, Socialist Party, French Communist Party, National Assembly, NATO Locations: La, La Rotonde Stalingrad, Paris, France, Europe

☆ France Is Not Used to Coalition Governments. Does It Have a Choice?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When President Emmanuel Macron defended his decision last month to call snap legislative elections, he argued repeatedly that France needed a “clarification” of its political situation. But on Monday, after the French cast their final ballots, the situation was anything but clear. A nationwide vote for the 577 seats in the National Assembly, the country’s more powerful house of Parliament, has not produced a working majority. Three large blocs have emerged from the elections — none big enough to govern alone, all of them possibly too antagonistic to work together. None has reached the threshold for an absolute majority, 289 seats, which would enable them to form a government that could survive no-confidence votes by their rivals.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron Organizations: National Assembly Locations: France

☆ Euro and French stocks subdued as France plunged into political limbo
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —French stocks and government bonds struggled to find direction Monday following surprise results in France’s parliamentary elections, which saw left-wing parties outperform the far right Sunday, leaving the country’s parliament facing gridlock. The yield, or return sought by investors, on benchmark 10-year bonds rose by a fraction of a percentage point to 3.22% by 8.09 a.m. But the premium traders demand to hold French bonds instead of the ultra-safe German equivalents was lower on the day. However, it was still a lot higher than before French President Emmanuel Macron called the snap elections on June 9. The value of the currency, which is shared by 19 other countries in the EU, has swung wildly since June 9.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, France’s, “, ”, Holger Schmieding, “ unaffordable, Schmieding, Hanna Ziady Organizations: London CNN, European Union, Rabobank, EU Locations: gridlock, Europe’s, “, France, Paris, —

☆ Oil little changed as investors eye impact of storm Beryl on Texas
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil prices were little changed as investors eyed energy supply disruption, with the largest ports in Texas shut before Tropical Storm Beryl likely strengthens into a hurricane and makes landfall on Monday. Brent crude futures inched up 11 cents, or 0.1%, to $86.65 a barrel as at 0042 GMT after closing down 89 cents on Friday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $83.08 a barrel, down 8 cents, after settling down 72 cents in the previous session. Lower interest rates can boost economic activity and increase crude oil demand. Investors were also watching for any impact from elections in the UK, France and Iran last week on geopolitics and energy policies.

Persons: Beryl, Corpus Christi, Tony Sycamore, Baker Hughes BKR.O, Sycamore, Masoud Pezeshkian Organizations: Tropical, Brent, . West Texas, Texas City, Energy, Administration, Sunday Locations: Texas, Corpus Christi, Houston, Galveston, Freeport, Corpus, Sydney, U.S, France, Iran

☆ French election: What happened and what comes next?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

While a surge in support for the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coalition foiled Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) party, French politics is now more disordered than it was before the vote. The NFP won 182 seats in the National Assembly, making it the largest group in the 577-seat parliament. And the RN and its allies, despite leading the first round, won 143 seats. Does that mean the NFP “won” the election? Now, it is the largest bloc in the French parliament and could provide France with its next prime minister.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Le, “, NFP “, Jordan Bardella, Le Pen, ”, ” Bardella, Kevin Coombs, Macron, Publique, – Jean, Luc Mélenchon, Raphael Glucksmann, Emmanuel Dunand, Éduoard Philippe, France’s, Brigitte Macron, Mohammed Badra, Gabriel Attal’s, France Unbowed, Mario Draghi, Benito Mussolini Organizations: CNN, Front, NFP, National Assembly, Ensemble, “, Reuters, Socialists, Getty Locations: Vichy, France, Paris, AFP, Le Touquet, –, Italy

☆ Opinion: A landmark NATO summit in Washington. But in Ukraine, there’s little cause for celebration
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Opinion Michael Bociurkiw | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Odesa CNN —As Washington prepares to welcome world leaders for a landmark summit commemorating 75 years of NATO, some 5,000 miles away I was having a heart wrenching dinner conversation. Michael Bociurkiw Chrystia Chudczak“My dreams have been shattered,” a Ukrainian friend, Inna Ivanova, told me at a restaurant tucked away in an obscure corner of Odesa. The question on everyone’s lipsLooming over the summit will be the question of Ukraine’s desperately sought NATO membership. Meanwhile in WashingtonThe forecasted record heat won’t be the only thing making NATO leaders in Washington break into a sweat. Given the high stakes for Ukraine, people here will be watching developments in Washington closely.

Persons: Michael Bociurkiw, Odesa, Michael Bociurkiw Chrystia, ”, Inna Ivanova, Inna, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine’s, Ukraine Ivanna, Tsintsadze, Biden, Oleksandr Gimanov, Bohdan Chomiak, What’s, I’ve, that’s, Russia wouldn’t, Kyiv should’ve, Donald Trump, —, Joe Biden’s, General Jen Stoltenberg’s, Kira Rudik Organizations: Atlantic Council, Organization for Security, Cooperation, CNN, Odesa CNN, Washington, NATO, Bucharest NATO, Ukraine, Getty, Kyiv, Twitter, Trump, Golos Party Locations: Europe, Ukrainian, Odesa, Germany, Washington , DC, Ukraine, Washington, Bucharest, Georgia, Moscow, Brussels, Lviv, Russian, AFP, Kyiv, Russia, Ukraine’s

☆ The German government owns around $2 billion in bitcoin — and it's freaking out crypto investors
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Bitcoin has also been under selling pressure from the German government as well as collapsed bitcoin exchange Mt. Last month, the German government began selling bitcoin from a wallet operated by the country's Federal Criminal Police Office, referred to locally as the Bundeskriminalamt, or BKA. Bitcoin price reactionIn tandem with these sales, bitcoin has seen its price fall dramatically. At one point in the day, the entire crypto market had shed more than $170 billion in combined market capitalization in a 24-hour period, CoinGecko's data showed. Germany's bitcoin sales aren't the only concern for crypto investors.

Persons: Bitcoin, it's, wasn't, bitcoin, —, Nobuaki Kobayashi, James Butterfill, CoinShares, Germany's BKA, Joana Cotar, Cotar, Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Michael Kretschmer, she's, Samson Mow Organizations: Federal Criminal Police, Arkham Intelligence, CNBC, Saxony, Federal Criminal Police Office, German Bundestag Locations: Gox, bitcoin, Germany, Saxony, Federal Republic of Germany, German, Berlin

☆ Euro and French stocks subdued despite France’s political limbo
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —French stocks and government bonds struggled to find direction Monday following surprise results in France’s parliamentary elections, which saw left-wing parties outperform the far right, leaving the country’s parliament facing gridlock. The yield on benchmark 10-year bonds rose by a fraction of a percentage point to 3.21% by 6.37 a.m. But the premium traders demand to hold French bonds instead of the ultra-safe German equivalents was lower on the day. However, it was still a lot higher than before French President Emmanuel Macron called the snap elections on June 9. France’s left-wing alliance came in first after the vote Sunday, while the far right trailed in third place in a shocking reversal of first-round results.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, France’s, “, ” Organizations: London CNN, Rabobank, European Union Locations: gridlock, France, Paris

☆ French bond markets calm despite country hitting political gridlock
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Matt Clinch | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty ImagesGovernment bond markets in France saw some selling early on Monday, but were fairly muted overall despite political gridlock after a second round of legislative elections. Jitters have spread through France's bond market in recent weeks. The 10-year yield topped 3.3% — a roughly 8-month high — after French President Emmanuel Macron called the snap parliamentary election in the middle of June. Meanwhile, the gap (or spread) between French bond yields and German bond yields had topped 85 basis points in recent weeks, hitting its highest level since 2012. He added that the chances of a confrontation with Brussels remained with the left-wing alliance, but not to the same extent as if the National Rally had won.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Emmanuel Macron's, —, David Roche, Digard, Kepler Cheuvreux Organizations: New, Republique, Anadolu, Getty, Government, European Commission, Sunday, Popular Front, Independent, National Rally, CNBC Locations: Paris, France, France's, London, Brussels

☆ Global elections in 2024: A guide in maps and charts
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Lou Robinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —As the presidential race in the United States heats up, many other countries around the world are also conducting pivotal elections in 2024. Here’s a closer look at the countries holding elections, in maps and charts. The election took 44 days, with more than one million polling stations, and its voters represented about 12% of the world’s population. In recent European Parliament elections, far-right parties performed well — with the National Rally gaining seven seats — and were particularly popular with young people. In 2023, 76% of Americans aged 18 to 29 said that Biden, 81, is too old to run for president, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll.

Persons: —, Vladamir Putin, Putin, Masoud Pezeshkian, Saeed Jalili, Le, Emmanuel Macron’s, Ipsos Mori, Biden Organizations: CNN, International Foundation, Electoral Systems, Here’s, European Union, North America, Voters, Emmanuel Macron’s Ensemble, National Rally, Pew Research, Associated Press, NORC, for Public Affairs Research Locations: United States, India, North, Mexico, Latin America, Russian, Iran, Islamic Republic, Pakistan, Bangladesh, France

☆ Netanyahu’s Resistance to a Deal Narrows Hopes for Gaza Cease-Fire: Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Patrick Kingsley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

But Mr. Netanyahu’s statement on Sunday night dampened those expectations, since it appeared to lessen the chances of a compromise with Hamas over the length and permanence of the cease-fire. Mr. Netanyahu’s grip on power relies on the support of two far-right parties opposed to any agreement that would leave Hamas in power in Gaza. “The efforts of the military in Gaza may help him get more from Hamas,” Mr. Shtrauchler said. Additionally, Mr. Netanyahu may be trying to stave off the collapse of his coalition until the end of July, when Parliament goes on recess. “He’s trying to create room for maneuver — and for that, he needs time,” Mr. Shtrauchler said.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Critics, —, “, ” Yair Lapid, Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t, ” Ben Caspit, Mr, Netanyahu, Nadav Shtrauchler, ” Mr, Shtrauchler, “ He’s, Gabby Sobelman Organizations: News, Hamas, Analysts, Mr Locations: Israel, Gaza, Cairo, Qatar, Rafah, Rehovot

CNN —Ukraine’s path to joining NATO was described as “irreversible” in a draft text of the alliance’s joint communique, three sources familiar told CNN Monday. While many Europeans have emphasized the need for strong language around Ukraine’s eventual future in the alliance, US and German officials had proposed describing a “bridge” to NATO membership for Ukraine. Ruslan Stefanchuk, the chair of Ukraine’s parliament, said at an event Monday that it’s not just about language, but it’s about actually bringing Ukraine closer to NATO. “There is rightly considerable focus on what Allies will say about Ukraine’s membership path in the summit declaration. “I’ll let the Ukrainians speak for themselves, but I think they understand the value of what NATO will be doing for that,” they said.

Persons: Ruslan Stefanchuk, it’s, ” Michael Carpenter, “, “ I’ll, ” Organizations: CNN, NATO, White House, Ukraine, Russia, Ukraine ”, National Security Council Locations: Ukraine, Washington, Kyiv, Moscow, European, Europe, Wiesbaden

☆ CNBC Daily Open: French far-right advance blocked
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Abid Ali | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Far-right advance thwartedFrance's left-wing New Popular Front coalition unexpectedly blocked a far-right advance in the parliamentary run-off vote, securing the largest number of seats but falling short of an absolute majority. Gox bankruptcy estate confirmed that repayments in bitcoin and bitcoin cash had commenced, likely fueling investor concerns of a massive sell-off. However, recent profit-taking and valuation concerns led to a pullback and a rare downgrade from a Wall Street analyst.

Persons: France's, Jan Hatzius, Goldman Sachs, Bitcoin, Emmanuel Papadakis Organizations: CNBC, Popular Front, Rassemblement, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Federal Reserve, Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, Deutsche Bank, Harvard Medical, Nvidia, Wall Locations: Europe's, U.S, Gox, bitcoin, Novo

☆ Euro eases on French poll gridlock, dollar sluggish after US payrolls
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The euro slipped on Monday after projections from France's election pointed to a hung parliament amid an unexpectedly strong showing for a left-wing alliance, spawning fresh uncertainty over the country's fiscal outlook. The euro slipped on Monday after projections from France's election pointed to a hung parliament amid an unexpectedly strong showing for a left-wing alliance, spawning fresh uncertainty over the country's fiscal outlook. The yen headed for a third day of gains after rebounding from last week's nearly 38-year trough to the dollar. The euro was 0.06% lower at $1.0827, and earlier slid as much as 0.4% as investors weighed the consequences of a hung French parliament. The dollar slipped 0.07% to 160.70 yen, down from as high as 161.96 on Wednesday.

Persons: Sterling, Emmanuel Macron's, Chris Weston, Macron, Weston, bitcoin Organizations: Federal Reserve, Labour, Conservative, New Popular Front, Le, Traders Locations: Gox

☆ European stocks seen slipping as traders digest French election result
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Katrina Bishop | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON — European stocks were set to fall at the open on Monday as markets reacted to an expected hung parliament in France after a surprise win for a left-wing coalition of parties. France's CAC 40 was seen falling 37.9 points to 7,631, according to IG, and the euro was down 0.18% against the dollar. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index and Germany's DAX are both expected to fall around 6 points, while Italy's FTSE MIB is expected to slip 115 points at the open. European marketsFrance's left-wing New Popular Front won the largest number of seats in this weekend's parliamentary elections, scuppering an expected surge for the far-right. However, the coalition failed to secure an absolute majority, early data showed, leaving markets digesting the possibility of a hung parliament.

Persons: Germany's DAX, France's, scuppering, Jim Reid, Nathan Posner Organizations: CAC, IG, Popular Front, Deutsche Bank, New, Republique, Anadolu, Getty Locations: France, Paris, France's

Aurelien Morissard/Pool/AFP/Getty ImagesThe result of Sunday’s parliamentary election runoff comes as a huge surprise, with France appearing to be on the verge of a major political shift – but not the one everyone was expecting. No pollster predicted before Sunday that a left-wing alliance would win and that the far right would come in third place. The political maneuvering by French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party and the left-wing alliance this week was clearly successful. But the left-wing alliance, which has seemed shaky, is going to have a hard time speaking with one voice. While it appears to have partially worked by keeping the far right from power, it has also plunged France into unprecedented political chaos.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Aurelien, Emmanuel Macron’s, Macron’s Organizations: Getty Locations: Paris, France

One theory about why Macron called an election now is that France might soon have been forced to the polls anyway. When Macron was reelected as president in 2022, his party failed to win an outright majority in parliament. Another theory is that Macron is gambling he can defeat extremist parties by exposing them to government. Some argue Macron hoped that, by giving the RN time in government before, they would have time to prove disappointing to voters. Jordan Bardella has said he will refuse to govern a minority government, meaning France could be left in deadlock in a mess of Macron’s making.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Let’s, Macron, Jordan Bardella Organizations: Elysee Locations: France

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