French central bank sees first-quarter growth of 0.4 percent

If confirmed, that would mark a pick-up from the final quarter of last year, when the euro zone's second-biggest economy eked out 0.2 percent growth.

The Bank of France offered the estimate in its monthly business sentiment survey, which showed morale in the industrial sector rose to 101 - the highest since May 2011 - from 100 in December, though those polled expect business growth to slow in February.

Meanwhile, the indicator for the services sector remained stable at 96 as the hotel and restaurant industries continued to suffer after the November jihadist attacks in Paris. Survey participants flagged lower expectations for business in February.

(Reporting by Leigh Thomas; Editing by James Regan)