Handbrake on for the Eurozone, which slows down the pace of growth in the second quarter. According to data released this morning by Eurostat, between April and June, GDP rose by only 0,2%. The rate is well below that of the first three months of the year, when a more encouraging +0,8% was recorded. Numbers that are not a surprise, considering the disappointing performance of Germany e Spain. On an annual basis, the figure for the euro area remains positive, with an increase of 1,7%.
Italy's performance was slightly better on a cyclical basis. In the second quarter, GDP grew by 0,3%, while on an annual basis the growth was only 0,8%. In the first quarter of 2011 there was a quarterly increase of 0,1% and a tendential increase of 1%.
