They stress the lack of experience in high office of the would-be Socialist candidates, at a time when the euro-zone crisis is deepening.

ECONOMIST: French politics

Over recent years, European politicians also reacted only to periodic scary plunges in their stock and bond markets, taking belated and panicked actions each time to repeatedly kick the euro-zone debt crisis down the road.

FORBES: Markets Can Handle Anything, Even A Sequester

Consumer sentiment as measured by GfK, a research company, shows that citizens feel well off and have a willingness to buy, but at the same time are fearful that the German economy will be sucked into the euro-zone crisis.

ECONOMIST: German economy