French Business Activity Falls as Budget Drama Curbs Demand
Pedestrians pass an empty restaurant terrace in Paris.
Photographer: Cyril Marcilhacy/BloombergBusiness activity in France shrank for the first time since October as political turmoil over the country’s budget weighed on demand.
S&P Global’s Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index dropped to 48.6 in January from 50 in December —below the mark separating expansion from contraction. Analysts polled by Bloomberg had anticipated no change.