According to a survey of around 450 small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs) by BNP Paribas Lease Group (BPLG) and Agence France-Presse (AFP), French business sentiment deteriorated in May.
The BPLG/AFP indicator of sentiment in the French SME sector fell to 9 in May from 14 in April. The indicator is on a scale from 0, which equates to the historic low point reached in 1993, to 100, which equates to the high reached in 2000.
All component indices posted declines in May, with the sales index dropping to 7 from 16 in April, while profitability fell to -1 from 7 the previous month.
The employment indicator fell to 26 from 27 in April, and business investment was down to 5 in May, from 8.
The indicator is based on business leaders' responses on sales, profitability, employment trends, and the outlook for their company and industry.
