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French services economy remains in contraction, but confidence hits 20- month high
Activity levels within France's service sector continued to shrink at the end of the first quarter, latest HCOB PMI® data from S&P Global showed, as sustained weakness in the broader economy weighed on sales performances. That said, contractions in output and new orders remained considerably softer than those seen in the second half of 2023 as anecdotal responses suggested some improvement in underlying conditions compared to the previous quarter. Positively, firms' growth expectations jumped sharply since February to their most optimistic in over a year-and-a-half. Jobs were also expanded, with employment ... (full story)