Paris  - The struggling French economy provided some unexpected good news on Tuesday as the government's statistics office Insee reported that household spending on manufactured goods had increased by 1.8 per cent in January.

The rise was especially marked in durable goods, with a rise of 5.7 per cent over January 2008, sparked by a 7.8 per cent jump in spending on automobiles, Insee said.

However, another measure of the mood of French consumers declined in February as the index of consumer confidence fell across the board, Insee said.

The decline was particularly sharp in the confidence of consumers to make large purchases in the future, which fell by 3 points, to minus 33, after gaining 5 points in January.

Analysts believe that the rebound in January may have been due to the annual winter sales, which this year offered sharp discounts on many goods. (dpa)