Student protests in France, now in their second month, have spread to Albania, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, driven by anger over living costs, housing and cuts to public services. According to Eurostat, consumer prices in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal have risen 59 to 78 percent since 2000, with Spain the highest at 78 percent and France the lowest at 59 percent. Real wages changed unevenly between 2000 and 2025: they fell almost 5 percent in Italy, but rose 7 percent in Spain, 11 percent in France and 20 percent in Portugal. The OECD price-to-income ratio for housing is 56 percent higher than in 2000 in Spain and 39 percent higher in France, Italy is only 5 percent higher, and Portugal's ratio has risen 67 percent since 2015. The article asks whether leaders such as Macron, Meloni, Sánchez and Montenegro are out of touch with young people in their countries.
Summary written by Upside AI from the original article. Read the source for full details.
Read the original on dominicanrepublicpost.com ↗
Keywords
cost of livingEuropeinflationhousing
Open a keyword to see other news on the same topic.
Related news
- How has the cost of living changed in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal? - Grenada Chronicle – Daily Grenada And Caribbean News
According to Eurostat, prices for everyday goods and services have risen 59% to 78% since 2000 across France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, with Spain recording the steepest increase. 100 euros in 2000 would now cost about 178 euros in Spain, 171 in Portugal, 168 in Italy and 159 in France. Inflation peaked in 2022, mainly due to energy costs after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and wages have lagged: after inflation, average full-time pay in Italy fell almost 5% between 2000 and 2025, while Portugal's rose 20%. Housing has also become less affordable, with Spain's price-to-income ratio 56% higher than in 2000 and France's 39% higher, while Italy's is just 5% higher and Portugal's climbed 67% since 2015. The analysis comes amid protests across Europe over living costs, housing and public services.
- Cost - of - living anger fuels protests across Europe amid deepening social - economic strains
Tens of thousands of people marched across European cities over the weekend, protesting surging living costs, housing shortages and strained public services. In France, about 550,000 people joined nationwide demonstrations on Saturday, and clashes left 997 police officers and gendarmes injured and 2,397 people arrested. In Milan, four officers and 20 protesters were hurt and about 50 people were detained, Brussels saw clashes, and tens of thousands in Portugal demanded affordable housing. French President Macron and Italian Prime Minister Meloni condemned the violence and vowed to prosecute those responsible. Eurofound's Eszter Sandor warned that the benefits of macroeconomic stability are not reaching the bottom half of the income distribution, eroding trust in governments.
- France Estimates 550 , 000 Protesters as European Prices Rise
France's government estimated that 550,000 people marched on October 17 over living costs and school conditions, below the CGT union's count of nearly 800,000. The protests, which began with school demonstrations in September, widened to cover living costs and public services, and some turned violent, including clashes and looting in Milan. France's prime minister ordered prefects to impose localized curfews, while separate protests took place in Italy and Portugal. Eurostat said euro-area annual inflation rose to 3.8% in September from 3.2% in August, with energy accounting for 1.71 percentage points, and inflation reached 5.0% in Spain, 4.2% in Italy, 3.6% in Portugal and 3.4% in France.
- Voters seize the say in key state battles for housing affordability
Voters in California, Florida and Massachusetts will decide on Nov. 3 measures on zoning, permitting and property taxes tied to housing affordability. In Massachusetts, Question 7 would cap minimum lot sizes at 5,000 square feet and needs more than a simple majority, with Yes votes equal to at least 30% of all ballots cast; supporters have raised more than $1.7 million. Florida requires 60% approval, and Amendment 3 would raise the homestead exemption to $250,000 in 2028, but a University of North Florida poll in July found support falling from 61% to 45% once voters learned the budget impact. In California, Proposition 45 would set deadlines for CEQA environmental reviews and court challenges, but California YIMBY has taken no position.
- Season Of Protests : Not Just India , These Countries Are Also Witnessing Demonstrations Around The World
Protests are spreading across several countries over living costs, housing, education funding and inequality, with causes differing by country. In India, demonstrations target the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, with police detentions and gathering restrictions in Delhi, while the commission denies the allegations. France saw violent clashes, fires and looting in several cities on 17 October, starting from school and education concerns before widening to living costs, and the unrest has revived comparisons with the 2018 Yellow Vest movement as President Emmanuel Macron faces pressure before the 2027 presidential election. In Belgium, students protested education costs, and police in Brussels used tear gas and water cannons, with Interior Minister Bernard Quintin condemning the violence. In Portugal, thousands rallied in Lisbon and other cities over housing, rents and wages, while the section on Italy is cut off.
- A house , a car , a little breathing room : Why middle - class life feels increasingly out of reach
Related markets
Latest news
- 3M stock rises 3% on $6B Amazon data center deal
3M shares rose 3% in after-hours trading after announcing a strategic commercial agreement with Amazon covering data center products. Under the deal, 3M issued an Amazon subsidiary a warrant to buy up to 3,162,015 shares at $164.89 per share over seven years. 85% of the shares vest based on cumulative Amazon payments for data center products, with full vesting once payments reach $6 billion, while the remainder depends on event-based milestones not detailed in the filing. The agreement, formalized on October 19, 2026, centers on 3M supplying optical connectivity and other data center products to Amazon.
- Stock Market Today, Oct. 19: Amazon Surges on Morgan Stanley Top Pick and $350 Price Target
Amazon (AMZN) closed at $262.45 on Oct. 19, up 4.98%, after Morgan Stanley named it a top pick, kept an Overweight rating and raised its price target to $350 from $335. Morgan Stanley cited the AI boom as a key driver and five catalysts, including AWS growth nearly tripling from 2025 to 2028. Trading volume reached 54.5 million shares, about 4% above the three-month average of 38.9 million. AWS revenue in Q2 rose 37% year over year to $42.2 billion, the fastest growth in 18 quarters, and investors await the Q3 report on October 29. Litigation and regulatory risk remain a longer-term overhang on valuation.
- NVIDIA Deal Highlights Value of Tiny's Early Poolside Investment
Tiny's original US$250,000 seed investment in Poolside is now ascribed a value of about US$11.1 million (C$15.8 million), roughly 44 times the initial cost, based on NVIDIA's reported financing terms. The deal pairs a US$6 billion technology licence with a US$1 billion investment in Poolside at a US$13 billion post-money valuation. Tiny's estimate applies that valuation to its roughly 0.0854% indirect stake and excludes its separate shares in Poolside Infrastructure Company (PIC), to which no value has been assigned. Tiny says its core strategy remains majority ownership of durable, cash-generating businesses, with Poolside a small, selective minority investment.
- Anthropic Gives 5% of Itself to the Public. Musk Answers by Giving Away SpaceX Shares
Anthropic will commit 5% of its shares to a new Public Benefit Fund, subject to stockholder approval, and says roughly 20% of its stock will go to public causes once co-founder and employee pledges are counted. Elon Musk responded by promising one SpaceX share to every U.S. child next year, a giveaway worth more than $10 billion at current prices. The fund follows a draft AI safety bill Anthropic pitched to lawmakers, which would let the government block models posing a risk of killing or injuring more than 50 people or causing over $1 billion in damage. Anthropic is preparing an IPO as soon as November at a reported valuation of around $2 trillion, which would put its 5% stake at about $100 billion on paper rather than in cash. The fund is a wholly owned LLC rather than a nonprofit, and it cannot be used for lobbying or political donations.
- Why CoreWeave Struggles Could Weigh Down Nvidia Stock
CoreWeave (CRWV) shares plunged last week over concerns about rising interest rates and its heavy debt load, and are down well over 20% over the past month. Nvidia (NVDA) is also exposed, having invested billions in CoreWeave and being one of its major customers, though its stock has fallen only about 2% over the past month. With a market cap of around $5.2 trillion, Nvidia trades at a forward P/E of 25 and a PEG of about 0.48, below the 1.0 level the article uses to define a cheap stock, but this valuation rests on expected growth. The article warns that doubts about Nvidia's growth could trigger a steep correction, citing tech firms making their own chips and possible AI spending cuts if interest rates rise.
- Power company announces an important decision
CTCP Nhiệt điện Quảng Ninh (QTP) says its board approved the EPC contract for package 05 of its flue gas treatment upgrade project, signed with the SEC-Pacific joint venture of Shanghai Electric Group and CTCP Tập đoàn Thái Bình Dương on a fixed-price basis. The contract is worth over 89.75 million USD and nearly 902 billion VND, about 3,271 billion VND in total, with 38 months to complete. SEC-Pacific was the only bidder to pass technical evaluation, as rival CISDI failed to reach the minimum score. The company has also appointed two deputy general directors this year, Nguyễn Công Kiên from 12/8/2026 and Dương Thành Công from 16/10/2026, after former board member Lê Việt Cường was arrested in February 2026 over alleged forgery of documents. For the first six months of 2026, net revenue reached nearly 6,359 billion VND, up over 10%, and profit after tax about 524 billion VND, up over 44%, already exceeding its full-year 2026 profit plan.
Get the briefing on Telegram or Zalo
Join the Upside Telegram channel or Zalo group for the Vietnam stocks and gold briefing at 8:00 and 19:00 (Vietnam time) on trading days, plus a weekly wrap on Saturday morning.