The Month in Charts: Spotlight On Umeployment, Inflation

Terror attacks catapulted France into the news while its economy continues to make headlines for the wrong reasons – unemployment pushes steadily higher and the specter of deflation is hovering. An upcoming election in Greece will focus attention on Europe’s laggard while Russia continues to feel the effect of sliding oil prices. Meanwhile, the U.S. economy seems positioned for strong growth in 2015.

Click here to view the Gallery.

The violence that resulted in 17 deaths in one week in Paris prompted discussions about free speech, insults to religion and the treatment of immigrants in French society. President Francois Hollande’s decisive handling of the crisis prompted a rise in his popularity, which has hit record-low numbers due to his management of the economy.

Hollande’s poll numbers rose when he said he would take “any risk” to boost French economic growth above the government’s forecast 1 percent in 2015, in a bid to cut unemployment with help from economic reforms.

In Greece, faint signs of recovery seem to be stalled due to nervousness about the Jan. 25 election. In December, the government pushed forward a parliamentary vote to name a new president, triggering a set of events that led to the early elections.

There are fears that the leftist Syriza party could garner support and change the austerity measures associated with Greece’s international financial rescue deal.

Russia opens the year by continuing to deal with plunging oil prices, Western economic sanctions and a falling currency. Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said there was a “pretty high” chance Russia’s credit rating would be downgraded to junk.

Meanwhile, the U.S. resembles an economic tiger, with low inflation, an improving job picture and a strengthening currency. Barry Salzberg, global CEO of Deloitte, said at the World Economic Forum that “you can sense that things in the U.S. are getting better, while the euro zone has big economic challenges.”

Receive stories like this to your inbox as they are published. Subscribe here and follow us @Alpha_Now on Twitter. If you are looking to access Thomson Reuters data or analytics, register for a free trial.