German Economy Returns to Growth as France Beats Forecast

The euro area’s two largest economies returned to growth in the third quarter, signaling that a slow recovery may have taken hold in the region.

German gross domestic product rose 0.1 percent in the three months through September and France’s jumped 0.3 percent, the most in more than a year. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News predicted growth of 0.1 percent for both economies, and see the same rate of expansion for the 18-nation region. Italy remained a weak spot, shrinking for a second quarter.