France's economy grew 0.4 per cent in the third quarter versus the previous three months, slowing from growth of 0.7 per cent in the second quarter, preliminary data from national statistics office INSEE showed today.
The result came in marginally below the average forecast of a Reuters poll for 0.5 per cent growth.
A breakdown of the headline third-quarter gross domestic product figure was not immediately available due to technical problems at INSEE.
After particularly strong growth in the second quarter, the euro zone's second biggest economy was widely expected to slow somewhat.
The Bank of France forecast on Tuesday that the moderation would be kept in check, estimating that growth would pick up to 0.5 per cent in the final three months of the year.
Reuters