French Economy Stalled in Second Quarter as Spending Slid

France’s economy unexpectedly stalled in the second quarter as consumer spending plunged just as investors spooked by Europe’s debt crisis turn their attention to the euro region’s second-largest economy.

Gross domestic product was unchanged from the first quarter, when it rose 0.9 percent, the most in four years, Paris-based statistics office Insee said today. Economists forecast a 0.3 percent gain, the median of 15 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey showed.