German and French GDP beat expectations in Q2

German growth for the second quarter of 2012 showed a 0.3% gain, beating expectations of a 0.2% rise. The economy had previously grown by 0.5% in the first quarter. French GDP figures also surpassed analyst expectations of a 0.1% decline by remaining flat in Q2. Elsewhere, Dutch Q2 GDP rose by 0.2% against expectations of a 0.3% decline. The figures will raise investor hopes for a better-than-expected overall eurozone GDP figure to be published later this morning by the European Union's statistics office in Luxembourg. With 17 of the eurozone countries in recession, many investors are...