The French service sector continued to weaken at the end of the third quarter, with business activity levels shrinking for the fourth consecutive month. The latest HCOB PMI® survey also signalled a deepening of the contraction as output fell at the sharpest rate since November 2020. Deteriorating demand for services remained a notable feature of the latest data, with falling activity levels in other parts of the economy reportedly weighing on order books. Business confidence meanwhile slumped to its lowest level in almost three years, with companies highlighting their concerns towards future activity. Nevertheless, ... (full story)