18.04.201406:40:00UTC+00France Leading Index Falls In February: Conference Board

The Conference Board's leading economic index for France declined in February, after increasing in the previous four months, data showed Friday.

The recent behavior of the composite indexes suggests that France's economy is likely to moderately improve through the first half of 2014, the Conference Board said.

The leading economic index dropped 0.3 percent in February, following a 0.4 percent increase in January, the think-tank said. In December, the index rose 0.3 percent.

Declines in new unemployment claims and building permits were the main reasons behind the latest fall in the leading index.

The coincident index, which measures the current economic situation, rose 0.1 percent in February, reversing a 0.1 percent decline in January. In December, the index increased 0.1 percent.