PARIS, Feb 20 (Reuters) – France’s private sector economy showed little sign of growth in February, with business activity levels virtually unchanged from the start of the year, according to a monthly survey published on Friday.
The HCOB Flash France Purchasing Managers’ Index for the country’s dominant services sector, compiled by S&P Global, came in at 49.6 points in February, a two-month high.
But that index has now stayed below the 50-point threshold separating growth from contraction for the second month running.
A Reuters poll forecast for the February flash services PMI stood at 49.2 and the final January figure was 48.4.
The flash manufacturing PMI for this month fell to 49.9 points, down from 51.2 in January and below a Reuters poll forecast for a figure of 51.0 points.
The flash February composite PMI, which comprises both the services and manufacturing sectors, reached 49.9 points, up from 49.1 in January and above a forecast for a figure of 49.7.
New business inflows shrank for the third consecutive month and at the fastest rate since last July, with exports posing a significant drag on overall order books. Employment stagnated after months of growth, as job cuts in manufacturing offset slight gains in the services sector.
“The French private sector is still struggling to gain real momentum. Since last November, the HCOB Composite PMI has been hovering around the 50.0-point growth threshold, implying that any real progress remains absent,” said Jonas Feldhusen, junior economist at Hamburg Commercial Bank.
Price dynamics varied across sectors, with service companies offering discounts while prices for manufactured goods rose at their quickest rate in a year-and-a-half. Overall selling prices fell for the first time in three months, and input cost inflation eased to a four-month low.
(Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Joe Bavier)
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