French business sentiment held steady in January as bosses' concerns about the economic outlook offset a rise in recent activity and unemployment stayed at 9.9 per cent in December for the fifth consecutive month.
State statistics office INSEE said today its business climate index registered 105 in January.
INSEE revised up its December reading to 105 from 104 previously. Economists polled by Reuters had given a consensus estimate for 104 in January.
"We have entered a period of soft growth which we're not going to emerge from for some months," said Mr Jean-Louis Mourier, economist at investment house Aurel Leven. "The business sentiment survey confirms this outlook.
"It has been stuck at the same level for the last three months."
The sentiment poll was less upbeat than the readout on Wednesday from Germany's Ifo business climate index, which rose to its strongest level in 11 months in January.