PARIS (MktNews) - The Bank of France and the French Finance Ministry will, for the first time, release preliminary estimates of unadjusted current account results for January on Friday along with the standard seasonally adjusted and raw data for December. The "advanced" monthly data shorten by some five weeks the delay in publishing balance of payments data -- at the risk of later revision, which experts expect to be minor. Those analysts who rely mainly on seasonally adjusted data to compare often volatile monthly developments, however, will still have to wait a month for complete adjusted results. While the relevance for financial markets of national current account data of EMU members has diminished greatly since the launch of the euro, central bank and ministry experts still follow the figures closely for clues about the competitiveness of domestic companies and the attractiveness of domestic investments for foreigners. The current account data, for example, include trade in services, notably for tourism and business services, where France's growing surpluses have helped cushion the impact of higher oil prices on the merchandise trade account. The monthly balance of payment data also include figures on direct investment by resident and foreign investors, which show that France ranks among the world's top three sources of foreign direct investment and among the top four economies receiving foreign investment. Portfolio investment figures included in the release reveal shifts in investment among stocks, bonds and money market instruments by both foreign and domestic investors. Neither the direct investment nor the portfolio investment data are ever seasonally adjusted in the standard release. Thus, the advanced data will give early estimates of financial flows in both categories. Balance of payment data for December and the advanced data for January are scheduled for release at 7:45 GMT Friday.