The BNP Paribas Lease Group and l'Agence France-Presse (BPLG/AFP) indicator of sentiment in the French small- and medium-sized business (SME) sector rose 16 points to 26 in December from 10 in October, demonstrating a sharp rise in sales, profitability and investment indices.
The indicator is based on business leaders' responses on sales, profitability, employment trends, and the outlook for their companies and industry.
The SME sector, which covers companies between 6 and 200 employees, accounts for 45% of total French employment. The indicator is based on a scale under which 0 equates to the historic low point reached in 1993 and 100 equates to the high reached in 2000.
Source: AFX
