The opinion of entrepeneurs is tracked by monitoring turnover and activity-related variables such as prices, demand, operating profit and changes to the workforce.

The entrepreneurs also provide an opinion on their cash flow and their recruitment difficulties, their general feeling of the overall situation of their company and any factors that might be restricting their activity.

Mostly, the questions are qualitative, with three choices. The results are balances of opinion calculated as the difference between the percentage of <<up (+)>> and the percentage of <<down (-)>>.

The survey covers almost all of the following sectors: accommodation and catering; information and communication; real estate activities; specialised, scientific and technical activities; administrative and support activities; other service activities; road goods haulage and courier services.

More precisely, the survey covers the sectors defined by the French Nomenclature of Activities (NAF Rev. 2) codes: 49.41, 52.29A, 53.2, 55.1, 55.2, 56.1, 56.21Z, 56.3, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 68 (except 68.32B), 69, 70 (except 70.10Z), 71, 73, 74, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81 (except 81.30Z), 82, 95, 96.

The composite business climate indicator describes the common component of the selected balances of opinion on past activity, forecast activity, judgement of order books, past work force and production capacity utilisation rate.

The turning point indicator aims to detect as early as possible when the outlook trend changes direction. This is a qualitative variable which is not directly observed. The indicator is presented in the form of a curve, retracing for each date the difference between the probability that the cyclical phase is favourable and the probability that is unfavourable.

The unit interviewed is the company.

Some data have been available since 1988.