French third — quarter growth seen at 0.1%, central bank says

Services offset weakness in industry and construction Firms expect industrial output to pick up in October PARIS, Oct 12 (Reuters) — The French economy barely grew in the third quarter, with the service sector just about making up for weakness in manufacturing, construction and agriculture, the Bank of France estimated on Monday. The euro zone's second-biggest economy eked out growth of only 0.1% in the third quarter compared to the previous quarter when it stagnated, the central bank said in its monthly outlook, leaving its estimate unchanged. Its monthly survey of executives at 8,500 firms found manufacturing output kept rising in September, but by less than firms had expected. The central bank, which uses the survey results and data to produce its growth estimates, said demand remained solid in aerospace and the electrical equipment sector, which has benefited from the data centre build-out. Construction activity barely grew, helped by a rebound in structural work on sites delayed by this summer's heatwaves, though order books remain thin, particularly for single-family homes. Executives reported companies were caught between rising costs and weak sales. Prices for industrial ra