Swedish Economic Growth Slows as Euro Crisis Hurts Sales

Sweden’s economic growth slowed less than estimated in the third quarter as consumers kept up spending even as the crisis in the euro area prompted exporters to cut jobs.

Gross domestic product expanded a seasonally adjusted 0.5 percent, compared with growth of 0.7 percent the prior quarter, Stockholm-based Statistics Sweden said today. Annual growth slowed to 0.7 percent from 1.3 percent, the agency said. The expansion was estimated at 0.2 percent for the quarter and at 0.5 percent for the year in a Bloomberg survey of 11 economists.