The French economy grew slightly in the first quarter, surpassing analysts’ expectations. The eurozone’s second-largest economy expanded by 0.2% in the first three months of the current year, following a 0.1% growth in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the quarterly GDP report from INSEE.
Household spending growth also showed improvement, accelerating to 0.4% in the first quarter compared to 0.2% in the previous quarter. This was despite a Reuters poll of 29 economists predicting on average a 0.1% growth in GDP for the first quarter, with estimates ranging from 0.0% to +0.2%.
Overall, the French economy’s performance in the first quarter has shown some positive signs of growth, indicating stability and potential for further expansion in the future.
