France’s trade deficit widened sharply in June - reaching a record €5.64bn, exacerbated by the higher cost of oil and energy imports and weaker car exports. The trade gap - up from a revised €4.7bn in May - was significantly higher than many economists had forecast and will weigh heavily on an already sharply slowing French economy. French exports increased 0.6 percent to 34.9 billion euros in June, with shipments to the U.S. and the Middle East declining. French business confidence fell to the lowest in more than three years last month as surging inflation and the stronger euro further dimmed the economic-growth outlook. Growth in the second quarter is likely to be weak at best, with private sector analysts predicting expansion of between 0 and 0.2 per cent.The trade deficit for the first half of 2008 widened to €24.4bn, up from €15.8bn in ...