The eurozone economy grew faster than analysts forecast in the third quarter as Germany and France rebounded and Greece showed some signs of revival.

Germany’s central bank sharply cut its 2013 economic growth forecast to 0.4% today, while poor industrial production figures underlined expectations of a weak winter for Europe’s biggest economy.

German factory orders unexpectedly declined in January as foreign demand for investment goods such as machinery slumped.

THE European Central Bank (ECB) is likely to delay its next interest rate hike as figures show inflation is still high in the EU.