Sun 15 Dec 2024 ▪
6 min read
▪
by
Luc Jose A.
An unprecedented crisis is shaking the global economy today: large companies, often seen as pillars of stability, are faltering under the weight of record failures. In the third quarter of 2024, 127 companies, each reporting revenues exceeding 50 million euros, declared bankruptcy. This statistic far exceeds the averages observed before the pandemic, revealing a critical acceleration of economic vulnerabilities. Such a phenomenon is set against a backdrop marked by the aftereffects of the health crisis and a rapid rise in interest rates, two factors that have put significant strain on companies' cash flows. At the same time, the end of the support measures put in place during Covid-19 has exposed many companies to increased costs and unavoidable restructuring. These failures, particularly concentrated in Europe, raise questions about the structural limits of certain sectors and the ability of companies to face a rapidly changing economic environment.