German economy grew 0.4pc in first quarter

The German economy got off to a solid start in 2019 returning to growth in the first quarter, helped by higher household spending and booming construction, preliminary data showed on Wednesday.

Gross domestic product (GDP) in Europe’s largest economy expanded by 0.4 per cent quarter-on-quarter, the Federal Statistics Office said. This was in line with analysts’ expectations.

Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, the economy grew by 0.7 per cent from January to March, calendar-adjusted data showed.

This was also in line with the forecast, reports Reuters.