French central bank sees fourth quarter growth of 0.1%

PARIS (Reuters) - The French economy is on course to finish the year with slightly positive growth in the fourth quarter, the central bank said on Thursday in its monthly outlook.

The euro zone's second biggest economy is set to grow 0.1% in the final quarter of 2022 from the previous three months, after posting growth of 0.2% in the third quarter, the Bank of France said.

In the bank's monthly survey of 8,500 companies, services firms reported an improvement in business while activity was stable in industrial companies and slipped in construction.

The survey also indicated supply chain tensions had eased to their lowest levels since surging last year in the wake of the post-pandemic reopening, with only 41% of firms reporting problems in industry and 36% in construction.

The share of firms reporting difficulties finding enough staff also slipped, although it remained high at 53%, down from 55% the previous month.

(Reporting by Leigh Thomas; Editing by Frances Kerry)