"We're used to not having a strong franc," said Dominique Borde, 60, a respected French lawyer.

On Jan. 1, 1960, the old franc lost two zeros and became the new "strong" franc.

So, using their strong francs, the Bordelais are buying their wines back from American importers at highly favorable prices.

Last year, the strong franc made French products more expensive than those of foreign competitors.

And he may even recall that not a few conservatives here believe economic recovery is more important than a strong franc.

The government says it simply wants to make an early start to convince the markets of its attachment to the strong franc.

When the new government said it would stick to the strong franc, fund managers who had been buying shares and selling francs promptly did the opposite.

To make matters worse, first-quarter sales figures of big French firms have been poor, thanks to the strong franc.

The central bank said the strong franc had threatened to dampen economic growth in Switzerland's export-dependent economy.

On the one hand, there is a generally affluent class still favorable to European integration and a strong franc.