French Industrial Output Drops, Sentiment Weakens
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French industrial production unexpectedly fell for a second month and business confidence declined, indicating the recovery may struggle to build momentum this quarter.
Output dropped 0.2 percent in January from December, led by electricity and gas production, the country’s statistics office in Paris said today. Economists had forecast a 0.3 percent increase, based on the median of 22 estimates. A separate report showed an index of business sentiment declined to 98 in February from 99 the previous month.