Italy’s Matteo Renzi hails growth before Sunday’s vote

Days before a referendum that could decide his political future, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi got the latest indications of Italy’s economic health.

With growth up and joblessness declining, the report card turned out to be a promising one. The eurozone’s third-biggest economy expanded 0.3% in the third quarter, while a separate report showed manufacturing unexpectedly accelerated last month.

Italy also revised up second-quarter GDP growth from stagnation, and unemployment fell slightly to 11.6% in October. The jobless rate peaked at 13.1% in 2014.