France dodges recession with zero growth in second quarter
France’s economy recorded flat growth in the second quarter of 2012, data showed Tuesday, beating expectations it would begin a slide into recession. In its first flash estimate for the second quarter, the national statistics institute INSEE said that French gross domestic product (GDP) was unchanged. That confounded expectations by many economists including the Bank of France that the slowdown plaguing much of the eurozone would push France towards recession. However France once again did less well than its principal partner, Germany, which posted 0.3 percent growth in the second quarter, according to official data also published on Tuesday.
