PARIS: France's economy grew 0.2 percent in the first quarter, the central bank said on Monday, standing by its first two estimates. That marked a slight slowdown from the fourth quarter of 2013, when the euro zone's second-largest economy grew 0.3 percent.

The national statistics agency INSEE estimated last week that France eked growth of only 0.1 percent in the first three months of the year.

The Bank of France gave its forecast in its monthly business sentiment survey that showed that morale in the industrial sector rose to 99 in March, up from 98 and just shy of its long-time average of 100. Confidence in the services sector was unchanged at 94.

Copyright Reuters, 2014