At the start of next year, several of the most common savings products will see their rates revised downwards. But one of them should hold up better and remain very attractive.
In France, several regulated and widely used savings products are indexed to inflation. This is particularly the case for the Livret A and the Livret de Développement Durable et Solidaire (LDDS), two very popular financial products. This mechanism makes it possible to protect part of savers' assets from the effects of monetary erosion during periods of soaring prices, such as the one the country has been experiencing since 2022.
However, after two years of dizzying surges, the evolution of consumer prices is finally calming down. And what is good news for purchasing power will therefore be less good for savings. After having been maintained, by decision of the Government, slightly above the level of inflation in 2023 and 2024, the Livret A and LDDS rates should therefore fall at the start of 2025.
But among the regulated investments, one of them should hold up better than the others, and maintain a return well above inflation next year: the Livret d'Épargne Populaire (LEP). This secure financial product, reserved for households whose resources do not exceed a certain ceiling, will benefit from its particular indexation mechanism.
Indeed, the LEP remuneration rate, which is revised twice a year on 1is February and 1is August, is subject to a floor and cannot be lower than that of Livret A, increased by half a point. And according to the most recent estimates, the Livret A rate should stand at 2.5% in 2025, which would therefore bring that of the LEP to 3% at least.
With an average inflation rate expected at 1.5% for the end of 2024, the LEP would therefore remain a particularly interesting investment for households who are eligible for it. Especially since its interests are entirely tax-exempt, that is to say not subject to income tax and social security contributions to which most other savings products are subject.
The icing on the cake is that the LEP rate could even turn out to be slightly higher, at 3.5% for example, because the Government is in the habit of giving a helping hand to this savings product intended for low-income households. Certainly, its remuneration will drop drastically, after peaking at 6% between 2023 and 2024, but the LEP will remain an interesting and protective investment for your savings in 2025.
