French Business Confidence Declines to Three-Year Low

French industrial confidence fell to the lowest in more than three years as a lack of economic growth in euro-area countries weighed on exports and looming tax increases damped domestic demand.

Sentiment among factory executives declined to 85 in October, the lowest since August 2009, from 90 last month, national statistics office Insee in Paris said in a statement today. Economists had expected a reading of 90, according to the median of 15 forecasts gathered by Bloomberg News.