At 52.7 in November, the IHS Markit Flash France Composite Output Index was little-changed from 52.6 in October, pointing to a further solid increase of business activity across the French private sector.
The result extended the current run of expansion to eight months and was driven by gains across both the manufacturing and service sectors.
Goods producers recorded their fastest increase in output since June, while the rate of growth at service providers was unchanged from October.
The continued rise in private sector activity was supported by another increase in new business during November.
The rate of growth in new work accelerated fractionally to reach the quickest for three months.
At the sector level, the expansion was underpinned by a first rise in orders at manufacturers since August, albeit one that was modest overall.
Meanwhile, services firms posted another solid increase.
Stronger international demand helped support new order growth in the middle of the fourth quarter, as new business from abroad grew for the second month in a row.
Though moderate overall, the rate of increase was the quickest since June, driven by a faster expansion in the manufacturing sector.
Amid increasing business requirements, private sector firms continued to increase their staff numbers in November.
The result extended the current sequence of workforce expansion to just over three years.
Moreover, the latest rise in employment was the quickest since October 2018 and solid overall.
Both manufacturers and service providers recorded slightly quicker rates of growth.
Despite the increase in employment, volumes of outstanding business rose at the fastest pace for just over a year.
The acceleration was primarily driven by manufacturing firms, where backlogs rose at the sharpest rate since February 2018.
On the price front, cost burdens faced by private sector firms in France continued to rise solidly, but the rate of inflation decelerated from October.
The rise in overall input prices was driven by a solid, albeit softer, increase at service providers, while manufacturing firms recorded a third consecutive monthly decline in their purchasing prices.
Businesses continued to raise output prices in the middle of the fourth quarter, extending the current run of inflation that began in September 2017.
The rate of increase was slight softer than in October, amid slower rises in both covered sectors.
Notably, the rate of inflation at manufacturers was the slowest for just over three years.
Finally, firms remained optimistic towards the oneyear business outlook in November, with the degree of positivity the strongest for seven months.
At the sector level, confidence remained highest among service providers. ■