Eurozone Growth Beats Expectations, Germany Dodges Recession

  • Third-quarter GDP up 0.4%, economists saw 0.2% expansion
  • Surprise German growth adds to faster momentum in France

Germany’s failure to sustain momentum is having a growing impact on its labor market.

Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg
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The euro area’s economy expanded more strongly than expected in the third quarter — with even Germany avoiding the recession it was widely tipped to endure.

Growth in the 20-nation currency bloc quickened to 0.4%, while economists had predicted it would hold steady at 0.2%, as momentum in France accelerated and stayed strong in Spain. Germany’s surprise 0.2% increase in gross domestic product caught analysts off guard, though the reading for the previous three months was revised down sharply.