Eurozone GDP: French economy smashes expectations with 0.6% growth

Single-currency bloc grew by 0.4% between January and March, outpacing both the UK and US economies

Economic recovery in the eurozone accelerated in the first quarter, boosted by a return to growth in France and Italy.

Outpacing both the UK and US economies, the single-currency bloc grew by 0.4% between January and March, improving on the fourth quarter of 2014, when gross domestic product increased by 0.3%. It was the fastest rate of growth in almost two years.