They are less likely to own stocks and shares than Americans, even though some are assiduous savers against a rainy day (three-quarters of all French household financial assets are free from capital risk).

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne

But others, including Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the finance minister, are insisting that at least part of the bounty must be used to reduce the public debt, whose interest payments now gobble up nearly a fifth of total tax revenue, and to trim the public deficit (to a planned 2.3% next year) against some future rainy day.

ECONOMIST: Funny weather over France