French business sentiment deteriorated in August, according to a survey of around 450 small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs) by BNP Paribas Lease Group (BPLG) and Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The BPLG/AFP indicator of sentiment in the French SME sector fell to 26 in August, from a 12-month high of 34 in July.
The indicator is based on business leaders' responses on sales, profitability, employment trends, and the outlook for their company and industry.
The SME sector, which covers companies with between 6 and 200 employees, accounts for 45 per cent of total French employment. The indicator is based on a scale under which 0 is the historic low point reached in 1993 and 100 equates the highest, which was reached in 2000.
Source: AFX
