France Composite PMI2012-2021 Data | 2022-2023 Forecast | Calendar | Historical

The IHS Markit France Composite PMI declined to 45.2 in February of 2021 from 47.7 in the previous month and below market expectations of 47.5, a flash estimate showed. The latest reading pointed to a sixth straight contraction in private sector activity and the steepest since November, as ongoing coronavirus restrictions continued to hit business activity. Service providers posted another sharp decline (PMI at 43.6 vs 47.3 in January) while manufacturing growth hit a three-year high (PMI at 55 vs 51.6). Although new orders continued to fall sharply, French businesses increased their staff numbers for a second straight month. As a result, backlogs of work fell faster. On the price front, input prices continued to increase at a marked pace, amid reports of widespread shortages of inputs. Meanwhile, output charges decreased for the sixth straight month. Looking forward, business sentiment was the strongest for just over two-and-a-half years.

The IHS Markit France Composite PMI was revised higher to 47.7 in January of 2021, from a preliminary estimate of 47 and compared with December's 49.5. Still, the latest reading pointed to the 5th straight month of contraction in the private sector and faster than in the previous month. Services activity continued to contract (PMI at 47.3 vs 49.1) while manufacturers posted a fresh expansion in output (PMI at 51.6 vs 51.1). New orders declined faster while employment increased for the first time since before the escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. On the price front, input price inflation accelerated to the quickest for a year, while output charges fell further. Looking forward, private sector firms were optimistic regarding future output, although the degree of positivity softened from December's 20-month high.

The IHS Markit France Composite PMI declined to 47 in January of 2021 from 49.5 in the previous month and below market expectations of 49, a flash estimate showed. The latest reading pointed to a fifth straight contraction in private sector activity, as the country continued to try to contain the second large-scale outbreak of the virus. Although output and new orders continued to fall, French businesses increased their staff numbers for the first time in almost a year. Meanwhile, input costs faced by private sector firms continued to rise in January, extending the current run of inflation to eight months. Moreover, the latest increase was the strongest for a year and marked overall. Looking forward, firms remained optimistic towards the 12-month business outlook with the degree of optimism was the second strongest since before the escalation of the pandemic last March.

The IHS Markit France Composite PMI rose to 49.5 in December of 2020 from 40.6 in the previous month and slightly below a preliminary estimate of 49.6. The latest reading pointed to the softest contraction in business activity in the current four-month sequence of falls despite the country continuing to face strict coronavirus lockdown restrictions. Services activity continued to contract although the least in four months (PMI at 49.1 vs 38.8) while manufacturers posted a fresh expansion in output (PMI at 51.1 vs 49.6). Both activity and new orders decreased at a softer pace with French businesses slightly increasing their staff numbers in December, after nine consecutive months of job shedding. Looking ahead, confidence reached the highest level since April of 2019, supported by marked improvements in confidence across both monitored sub-sectors.