French Business Sentiment Halts Slump on Recovery Signs: Economy

French business confidence arrested a seven-month decline in February, the latest sign that Europe’s second-largest economy may be starting to recover after unexpectedly expanding in the fourth quarter.

Sentiment among factory executives held at 92 after January’s reading was revised from an initially reported 91, Paris-based statistics office Insee said today. The reading matched the median forecast of 18 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. A gauge of the outlook among businesses rose to a six-month high.