EquiLend

Insight

Oct 21, 2025

Market Flash

Market Flash on French Government Bond Turmoil

French Bond Yields Rise after S&P Downgrades Credit Rating

In an unforeseen move, S&P Global Ratings downgraded the French sovereign credit score from AA- to A+ amidst recent political turmoil in Paris. The move triggered a fall in the price of French bonds in Monday trading with yields rising in tandem, reflecting the increased risk felt by investors. 

Leading up to this news, EquiLend Data & Analytics saw rising negative sentiment around the French Bond market as demand for these bonds continually increased since March of this year. The EquiLend Borrow Value across the sector rose significantly in the last year but notably jumped 11.6% in the last quarter alone, increasing from $90 billion to over $100 billion.  

Demand for French Government Debt is not limited to one or two issuances either. The list below highlights the 10 ISINs with the biggest rise in EquiLend Borrow Quantity over the last month. Be sure to log in to EquiLend Data & Analytics today to get the full list leveraging the new Screener functionality! 

ISIN 

Bond 

EquiLend Borrow Quantity 

MoM Difference 

MoM (%) Difference 

FR001400PM68 

FRTR 3 ½ 11/25/35 

4,577,865,080 

1,346,403,000 

42% 

FR0000571218 

FRTR 5 ½ 04/25/29 

9,348,774,470 

1,028,608,000 

12% 

FR001400XLW2 

FRTR 2.4 09/24/28 

1,532,520,000 

648,722,000 

73% 

FR001400AQH0 

FRTR 0.1 07/25/38 

635,010,902 

249,107,500 

65% 

FR0010371401 

FRTR 4 10/25/38 

1,278,659,251 

227,469,999 

22% 

FR0011461037 

FRTR 3 ¼ 05/25/45 

1,185,952,820 

221,690,091 

23% 

FR001400NBC6 

FRTR 2 ½ 09/24/27 

1,784,110,999 

199,179,000 

13% 

FR0013154044 

FRTR 1 ¼ 05/25/36 

1,970,777,999 

198,905,000 

11% 

FR0013234333 

FRTR 1 ¾ 06/25/39 

1,400,346,907 

188,673,186 

16% 

FR001400AIN5 

FRTR 0 ¾ 02/25/28 

1,976,783,079 

171,861,000 

10% 

The EquiLend Edge

EquiLend’s short sale & financing data provides actionable intelligence on evolving market sentiment that traditional metrics may not capture.

Book a demo of EquiLend Data & Analytics today to receive these signals and more in real-time: https://equilend.com/contact-us/.

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