Germany and the UK Lead Economic Recovery

Germany confirmed on Friday it had enjoyed its fastest rate of economic expansion in more than a year in the second quarter, and Britain revised up its growth to the same rate.

Although recession still haunts many of Europe’s major economies, like Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, analysts said the German and British data showed that at least two of the region’s major economic engines are moving into a higher gear.

Strong domestic demand drove a 0.7 percent quarterly increase in German gross domestic product in the second quarter, matching its growth rate in the first quarter of 2012.

Britain’s economy expanded at the same rate as Germany’s, equaling the growth it recorded in the third quarter of last year, fuelled by a broad-based pick-up in activity.

The signs of robust growth have also led to more upbeat comments from the region’s central bankers, who have hitherto hinted at interest rates remaining low for some time to come.

via Reuters

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Alfonso Esparza

Alfonso Esparza

Senior Currency Analyst at Market Pulse
Alfonso Esparza specializes in macro forex strategies for North American and major currency pairs. Upon joining OANDA in 2007, Alfonso Esparza established the MarketPulseFX blog and he has since written extensively about central banks and global economic and political trends. Alfonso has also worked as a professional currency trader focused on North America and emerging markets. He has been published by The MarketWatch, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal and The Globe and Mail, and he also appears regularly as a guest commentator on networks including Bloomberg and BNN. He holds a finance degree from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) and an MBA with a specialization on financial engineering and marketing from the University of Toronto.
Alfonso Esparza