Eurozone recovery loses steam as Germany slows

French economy grows 0.3% in third quarter but Germany, Finland, Greece, Netherlands, Italy, and Portugal all undershoot market expectations

The eurozone's economy lost steam in the latest quarter as Portugal stalled, Germany slowed and debt-stricken Greece contracted.

Gross domestic product (GDP) across the 19 countries in the single currency bloc rose just 0.3% in the third quarter, according to Eurostat. That defied expectations for growth to hold at 0.4%, according to a Reuters poll of economists. On a year earlier, GDP was up 1.6%, lower than forecasts for 1.7%.

Euro area GDP +0.3% in Q3 2015, +1.6% compared with Q3 2014 #Eurostat - https://t.co/t83KcLWq89 pic.twitter.com/zwRG0uzVJh

#Italy's GDP +0.2% in Q3, slightly below PMI signal. More sluggish growth signalled so far in Q4 pic.twitter.com/SEN038nZUm

Related: Eurozone GDP: Growth slows to just 0.3% - live updates