French manufacturers maintained their confidence for the third consecutive month in January. Despite a decrease in their sentiment towards previous production activity, their future production outlook improved. This information was disclosed in a report by the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) issued on Thursday.
The manufacturing sentiment index for January remained at 99, identical score from the last three months. The figure for December was slightly adjusted down from 100. The predicted score aligned with the long-term average of 100.
Manufacturers were found to be more optimistic regarding their own financial situation in the coming three months. The index increased from 4 in December to 7 in January.
Regarding general production expectations, the sector demonstrated less pessimism in January. The corresponding index improved to -7 from -10 the previous month.
However, the index reflecting opinions on the evolution of production over the past three months exhibited a downturn. It decreased to -7 from -1 in December.
The comprehensive order books index, on the other hand, stayed steady but negative at -19.
The sub-index tracking the anticipated trend in selling prices in the forthcoming three months bounced back to 4 in January from -3 in December.
In broader terms, the overall business confidence index comprising the responses of business leaders from various sectors including manufacturing, construction, services, retail trade, and wholesale trade remained unchanged at 98 in January.
