German economic recovery falters

[jannyk]

Source: BBC

Germany's recovery from recession faltered in the final quarter of 2009, according to preliminary figures released on Friday.

The German economy failed to grow at all in the last three months of the year, with GDP unchanged compared with the previous quarter.

Meanwhile, France reported a 0.6% rise in GDP for the same three-month period - better than analysts expected.

Figures also showed the eurozone economy grew 0.1% in the same quarter.

This represents a slowdown in the economies of the 16-nation zone, which grew by 0.4% between July and September last year.

Official first estimates showed that the Italian economy shrank by 0.2% after growing by 0.6% in the previous quarter. They also showed that Spain and Greece remained in recession, with the Greek economy contracting by 0.8%.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8511954.stm