Germany's economy grows by 1.5%

Germany's economy grew by 1.5% in the first three months of 2011 compared with the previous quarter, much faster than had been expected, according to official figures.

The figures from Destatis showed that domestic demand had been one of the strongest drivers of growth.

Also on Friday, France announced growth of 1% in the same period, its fastest rate since the second quarter of 2006.

All of the eurozone countries are due to report GDP figures on Friday.

Figures earlier in the week showed that German exports and imports had both risen to their highest monthly level since records began in 1950.


More...