French manufacturing expands less than initially forecast in August, final PMI shows

Sept 1 (Reuters) - France's manufacturing sector grew in August, albeit slightly less than initially forecast, a survey by S&P Global showed on Tuesday.

• The S&P Global France Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 51.1 in August from 49.8 in July.

• Any figure above 50 points shows expansion in activity, while below 50 shows a contraction.

• However, the final August reading of 51.1 points was weaker than the flash August PMI figure of 51.5 points.

• S&P Global said manufacturing output volumes had increased for the first time since April, although inflows of new orders fell.

• "On the surface, it's a much better PMI report for France's manufacturing sector, but it's difficult to draw much optimism from these figures as the data reveal still-weak demand, falling business confidence and more aggressive destocking," said Joe Hayes, senior principal economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence. 

• "This makes August's renewed output expansion an unconvincing one," added Hayes.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Hugh Lawson)