Mubasher: France's purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the private sector extended its growth in February, registering 57.8 from 59.6 in January, data released by IHS Markit on Wednesday showed.

However, despite the growth the IHS Markit Flash France Composite Output Index "signalled the slowest rate of expansion since October last year," the report stated.

Output growth rates fell slowed down in the manufacturing and services sectors, as expansion at manufactures fell for the first time since November. "Nevertheless, growth remained marked in each case," the report said.

In terms of new orders, the latter continued to rise for the 20th month in a row, supporting February's data.

"In line with the trend for output, the rate of increase was the weakest in four months amid softer expansions at both manufacturers and service providers. Rates of growth were marked nonetheless," IHS Markit said.

On the other hand, employment picked up month-on-month as France continued to add new workers in February. This month came close to the 16-and-a-half year employment high recorded in November.

"The acceleration was driven by service providers, which hired new staff at the second sharpest pace since mid-2001. Meanwhile, a slight moderation in job creation was recorded in the manufacturing sector," the report showed.

By 8:30 am GMT, EUR/USD fell 0.24% to $1.2308.