The Euro was again under pressure on the markets yesterday, after France released debt figures which breached the conditions of the single currency stability pact.

In late afternoon trading, the euro was at $1.0187 dollars, against $1.0198 late Thursday. After clawing its way back above $1.02 overnight, the new currency plummeted in early trading, mainly because of confirmation that French national debt, on the basis of a new method of calculation, had narrowly breached a Maastricht-imposed ceiling of 60 per cent of gross domestic product. Although most dealers realised that these figures were produced by a technicality, the figures did not help the already fragile euro.