1.   The French franc initially suffered during trading because of a threatened public strike, rising unemployment and slow growth, Turner said.

2.   Analysts said that the French franc was suffering from political and financial scandals before a presidential election in April.

3.   Some traders said the franc could suffer from parity shifts in the European Monetary System in which the peseta and the Portuguese escudo have been devalued.

4.   The franc has also suffered from dissatisfaction among investors with a budget, announced on Wednesday, to curtail French deficits.

5.   The French franc was suffering from the prospect of a continued rise in French unemployment and from weak growth forecasts, especially by private institutes.

6.   The franc also suffered from the rally of the German economy as indicated by the growth in German GDP.

7.   The French franc suffered from statements by Budget Minister Alain Lamassoure pointing to delay in an ambitious reform of the French tax system.

8.   The franc also suffered from a proposal by Michel Vauzell, close to president Francois Mitterrand, that the president should dissolve the National Assembly.

9.   The franc has suffered from the rise of the mark in response to the fall of the dollar and because of the weakness of several European currencies.

10.   The franc has suffered under the current wave of strikes in France, losing three centimes against the mark Monday.