French Business Confidence Stays Close to Two-Year Low: Economy

French industrial confidence remained near its lowest in two years in August, increasing pressure on President Francois Hollande’s government to revive growth in the face of Europe’s debt crisis.

Sentiment among factory executives rose to 90 after July’s reading was revised down to 89, national statistics office Insee in Paris said in a statement today. That’s in line with the median of 20 forecasts in a Bloomberg News survey. A gauge that includes retailers, builders and service industries was unchanged at 87, the lowest in almost three years.