French service providers reported a rise in business activity for the first time in three months during April. Although slight, it was nevertheless the sharpest increase since last November. Underpinning growth of activity was a stronger increase in new business. Backlogs of work accumulated further, encouraging firms to add to staffing levels. Input prices rose modestly, but prices charged by service providers continued to fall. Business expectations remained positive, although softened from March’s seven-month high. The seasonally adjusted headline Markit France Services Business Activity Index – which is based on ... (full story)