The outcome of last Thursday’s meeting of the European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council was in line with market expectations, with no changes to monetary policy. Thus, purchases of securities under its quantitive easing (QE) programme will continue to run at a rate of €60bn per month until at least September 2016, with interest rates staying at virtually zero.

The eurozone economy remained weak last year, growing by just 0.9%. Nonetheless, this did represent an improvement compared to the 0.4% and 0.8% declines in GDP recorded in 2013 and 2012 respectively.

The eurozone economy has grown only very modestly since it emerged from recession in the second quarter of last year.

President François Hollande’s attempt to cut France’s budget deficit with tax increases may have boomeranged.

France’s deficit shrank less than expected last year and debt continued to grow to 93.5% of GDP, the state statistics agency has said.

Last week’s ECB monetary policy meeting saw no changes being made, despite some expectations in the market of a rate cut or some new liquidity measures.

As expected, the ECB left its interest rate policy unchanged at the December meeting of the Governing Council last Thursday. The main refi rate remains at 0.25%, while the deposit rate was left unchanged at 0%.

As expected, last week’s meeting of the ECB’s governing council saw no change to interest rate policy, with the main refi rate remaining at 0.5%.

The eurozone emerged from an 18-month long recession in the second quarter of this year when GDP rose by 0.3%, the first increase since the third quarter of 2011. This was a double-dip recession as it followed soon after the very severe recession of 2008-2009.

As expected, the ECB left its interest rate policy unchanged at its August meeting last week, with the main refi rate remaining at 0.5%.

Export growth slowed sharply in 2012 and the early part of this year, reflecting, in part, a marked slowdown in the pace of activity in two of our main export markets, the UK and the eurozone.

The eurozone economy continues to lag behind the other major developed economies in terms of its growth performance and labour market conditions.

France’s economy narrowly avoided recession, growing slightly in the third quarter, according to official statistics.

France's economy saw zero growth in the second quarter, fuelling fears that Europe's second largest economy is hovering on the edge of a new recession.

France’s economy did not grow in the first quarter of the year, raising concerns that the country could be headed towards a recession.

France’s GDP grew slightly in the last quarter of 2011, bringing total economic growth for the year to 1.7%.

France's finance minister took a swipe at the state of Britain's economy today hours after French experts predicted his own country would slide into a recession.

France’s economy grew 0.4% in the third quarter thanks to a rebound in consumer spending over the summer, the country’s statistics agency said today.

France’s economic growth sputtered to a halt in the spring as consumers slashed their spending and exports dried up, figures revealed today.

Paris: French industrial output advanced in January for a third month as the global economic recovery helped fuel demand for exports.

Paris: French consumer prices rose in May as energy prices increased and the strengthening economic recovery allowed companies to pass on costs.

France’s economy grew 0.3% in the second quarter of the year – ending the country’s worst recession in decades, according to government estimates released today.

France will head into recession by early next year as rising unemployment and the fallout of the financial crisis prove too much for the eurozone’s second largest economy, the national statistics agency predicted today.

France has entered a recession, with economic contraction expected in the third and fourth quarters of 2008, the country’s national statistics agency said today.

European leaders called for relief from high oil prices this week, with Britain’s Treasury chief urging OPEC to increase production and the French president asking oil companies to further cut prices and boost investment in renewable energy.

France’s unemployment rate fell in June for the first time in more than four years as more young people found work, national statistics agency Insee said Friday.

THE French economy will probably grow 2.3% this year, the fastest pace since 2000, the Paris-based national statistics office Insee said yesterday.

Industrial production in France, the second-biggest economy in the euro region, unexpectedly fell for the first time in three months in April as a drop in energy output offset increased activity at manufacturers.

French consumer prices increased by 0.4% in March from the previous month and were up 1.7% on an annual basis, according to the latest figures from the state statistics institute INSEE.

French industrial production increased for the fourth time in six months in February, suggesting rising exports and investment are fueling a recovery from the slowest growth in a decade.

The French final consumer prices index (CPI) for December showed a rise of 0.1%, unchanged from provisional estimates, according to figures from the Insee statistics office.

UNEMPLOYMENT in France unexpectedly dropped for a second month in November, a sign that prospects for faster growth are encouraging companies to take on additional staff.

Industrial production in France fell by 0.9% in August from July, marking a 1.2% decline for the year, according to French statistics office INSEE.

FRANCE’S economy contracted in the second quarter as the dollar’s drop stifled exports and consumer spending fell, pushing the economy of the 12 countries sharing the euro to the brink of recession.

The French economy shrank by 0.3% in the second quarter, indicating negative growth across the euro zone's three biggest economies in the April to June period.

FRENCH business confidence rose in July for the first time since December, and consumers became more optimistic in Germany and Britain, adding to evidence that Europe’s three biggest economies may recover later this year.