France economy: Flea market 'on the brink', says trader France is to publish figures for the second quarter of the year on Wednesday with economists predicting a slight rise in growth. But after some recent upbeat messages from the President, his finance minister warned this past weekend the recovery is still precarious and that over the year the French economy might shrink by 0.1% . Christian Fraser visits one of the world's most famous flea markets, where some traders are said to be "on the brink."