France recovering as Germany falters

The German economy remains in the doldrums while growth in France is starting to recover, according to research by HSBC. Germany's quartile two GDP rating gave no hint of domestic recovery. Domestic demand fell by 0.1% with consumer spending rising by only 0.1% and fixed investment dropping by 1%. Although there is strong export growth in the country, there are no signs it is feeding through into stronger growth in consumer spending and fixed investments, nor any sign of an impact from lower interest rates. The construction recession continues in Germany. Gwyn Hacche, economist at HS...