S&P lowers outlook on France to negative from stable

Standard & Poor's on Friday lowered its outlook on France to negative from stable, reflecting the "constrained real and nominal growth prospects" for the country's economy against the background of policy implementation risk.

The ratings agency also affirmed France's unsolicited "AA" long-term and "A-1 plus" short-term sovereign credit ratings.

The country laid down the gauntlet to EU partners on Oct 1 with a 2015 budget setting out how it would bring its borrowing back to within EU limits two years later than promised, a retreat it blamed on a fragile economy.