Euro-Area Growth Cools as Germany, France Fall Short

Euro-area economic growth unexpectedly slowed last quarter the region’s three largest economies fell short of estimates, highlighting the fragility of the recovery amid uncertainty surrounding the global outlook.

Gross domestic product in the 19-nation region rose 0.3 percent, the European Union’s statistics office said on Friday. That fell short of the median prediction by economists that the 0.4 percent pace of the first quarter would be maintained. While German growth accelerated, the improvement was less than anticipated, and France’s economy stagnated.