the business climate “darkens further” in December, according to INSEE

The business climate “gets darker” in France in December, down for the third consecutive month without any sector being spared, apart from industry which is holding up, noted INSEE on Thursday.

The indicator which summarizes the business climate, calculated from “responses from business leaders in the main market sectors”stood at 94 in December, down two points, according to a note published by the National Institute of Statistics.

In the services sector, the indicator lost two points in December after having lost three the previous month, standing at 96. In the construction sector, the synthetic indicator stood at 98, its highest level. low since July 2020, indicates INSEE.

The business climate also declined for the third consecutive month in retail trade (including automobile trade and repair).

In industry, it “maintains” at 97, according to INSEE, which specifies that “all the balances of opinion on order books are increasing again but all those relating to production are decreasing”.

The employment climate indicator also fell in December to 96, losing two points.

The business climate in services in November was “revised downwards” of one point after rounding as well as the employment climate, detailed the Institute.