French consumer confidence stable in Dec.

French consumer sentiment about the country's economic performance and financial situation in December remained the same as in November, government figures showed on Wednesday.

The consumer confidence index was unchanged at 96 points for the third consecutive month over the period but stayed below its long-term average of 100, according to figures released by national statistics institute, Insee.

In December, households' sentiment about their future personal financial situation stood at -7, three points up from November, with more consumers thinking it was opportune to save with the saving opportunities indicator improved by four points to 8.

However, consumers showed more pessimism over the past economic situation whose index fell by two points while their appreciation of the future economic performance was stable for the third successive month at -30, the national agency said.

As for the unemployment rate, more people predicted an increase of joblessness in the future.

France's unemployment rate in the second quarter of 2015 hit an 18-year high with 2.941 million jobless claims registered over the period.

In his New Year message to the government, French President Francois Hollande placed unemployment at the top of his priorities in 2016, pledging to introduce new measures to improve training and encourage recruitment. Endit