France economy slowdown drags on eurozone GDP figures

Uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the Greek crisis dented consumer and business confidence, especially in France

A slump in French manufacturing and construction sapped the strength of the eurozone economy in the second quarter, pushing the 19-member currency bloc's GDP growth rate down to 0.3% from 0.4% in the first three months of the year.

A solid performance by Germany and continuing expansion, albeit modest, in Italy offset the figures from Paris, which showed that the second-largest economy in the currency bloc failed to expand between April and the end of June.

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