French Growth Picking Up

French economic growth will accelerate in the second quarter of the year and business sentiment indicators remain above their long-term average, the Bank of France said Monday, MarketWatch reported. French gross domestic product will rise 0.5% in the second quarter from the first, when it rose 0.4%, according to business activity indicators, the Bank of France said. Industrial production rose sharply in May and activity was strong in all sectors, the central bank said. The service sector grew at “a healthy pace” and activity rebounded in construction. Sentiment indicators were stable in manufacturing and services at 105 and 101 respectively.