France has already seen its prime minister voted out by lawmakers and a successor installed , followed by nationwide protests this week. Investor attention now turns to a closely-watched gauge of the country's economic condition: the first in a series of credit rating updates, which assess the risk associated with investing in a nation's debt. Downgrades could have series knock-on effects on French borrowing costs, as measured by the yield on its government bonds, economists warn. Of the big three ratings agencies, Fitch will kick off with its update on Friday, followed by Moody's on Oct. 24, and Standard and Poor's (S & P) on Nov. 28. Those come with France's debt load already firmly in focus. Since last summer's parliamentary election failed to deliver a majority to any one party or bloc

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