France's ailing manufacturing sector could see a recovery soon, S&P Global said in a survey released on Monday, as business confidence hit a 27-month high in May.

The final HCOB Manufacturing France PMI for May rose to 46.4 points from 45.3 in April and was broadly in line with a 46.7-point flash estimate.

It was still below the 50-point level that marks growth in activity. However, a sub-index on business expectations for the year ahead jumped to 55.1, from 51.1 the previous month, the strongest reading since February 2022, when Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, S&P Global said.

The rise in business confidence signals France's manufacturing sector could have bottomed out.

"Global manufacturing is recovering, from which French manufacturers will profit... Domestic demand in France is set for a drastic comeback soon," said Norman Liebke, economist at Hamburg Commercial Bank AG, which published the PMI survey. (Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Susan Fenton)