French Economy Set To Grow 0.2% In Q1

(RTTNews) - The French economy is likely to expand 0.2 percent in the first quarter of 2014, survey data from the Bank of France suggested Monday.

The outlook is unchanged from the prior estimate released in February.

Business confidence in manufacturing fell to 98 in February from 99 in January, the report showed. Meanwhile, sentiment in services remained unchanged at 94 in February.

In February, industrial production strengthened almost across the board. Industrial activity is expected to rise marginally in March.

The service sector activity grew driven by the IT services and temporary work sectors in February. Going forward, business leaders expect a slight improvement in the service sector in March.