France: Business confidence edges lower in April
In April, the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies’ (INSEE) business-climate indicator for the manufacturing sector dipped 2 points from a month earlier to land at 101 points (March: 103 points). Despite the downtick, the indicator remained above its 100-point long-run average.
April’s print reflected firms’ diminished views on past activity, which offset roughly stable opinions on employment and order books—including export orders. Optimism toward firm-level output prospects also notched lower.