Societe Generale, France's third-biggest listed bank, posted better-than-expected third-quarter results on Thursday, driven by a rebound in its French retail business and higher sales in equities trading. Revenues were up by 10.5% to 6.84 billion euros over the period, about 200 million euros above the median analyst estimate, while SocGen's investment bank also beat forecasts thanks to a 10% jump in equities trading from a year earlier. A turnaround in SocGen's French retail unit, which accounts for close to a quarter of the bank's pre-provision profits according to UBS, is key to regaining investors' trust and lifting its shares.