Growth in the first quarter euro-zone confirmed to 0.8% (AFP)

Brussels (AFP) - economic growth of euro 17-state area was 0.8 per cent in the first three months of the year of output in the last quarter of 2010, the European Union said Wednesday.

Final confirmed figures of the Office of the EU data, Eurostat, showed an acceleration in the rate of recovery of the euro between January and March of growth of 0.3% in the previous quarter - an increase of 2.5% on the corresponding period 12 months earlier.

The figure for the euro area, despite his battle with a deep and persistent debt crisis, compares favourably with that for the United States, which has posted growth of 0.5%, and the Japan, where the economy decreased by 0.9%.

When counted up, the full EU, which also includes powerful but non-euro Member States Britain and the Poland, also logged growth of 0.8%, having hit just 0.2 percent over the last three months of last year.

In retail, household expenditure increased by only 0.3% in the euro area, the same as in the previous quarter, while exports increased by 1.8% and imports also up to 1.9 per cent.

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Spanish economy grew by 0.2% in the quarter: Bank of Spain (AFP)

MADRID (AFP) - Battered Spain recovered slightly in the first quarter with growth of 0.2 per cent of the economy and has now 'decoupling' of these countries plans to rescue EU and the IMF, the Bank of Spain, said Friday.

He said "during the months of the initiation of 2011, the Spanish economy continued a low rate in the context of the gradual recovery in the global economy, but a free step of the emergence of fresh cause for uncertainty, growth".

"The estimates made in relying on short-term information available indicate that GDP posted an increase of quarter-on-quarter of 0.2 per cent in the first quarter of 2011, unchanged on the previous quarter."

Year after year, "continuous output on the path to the slow recovery seen in previous quarters," with a growth of 0.7%.

The Central Bank has declared expenditure of households "continue to show signs of a weak recovery" and noted "the buoyancy of exports of goods and the significant recovery in tourism".

Spain had now successfully "decoupled of the Group of the countries most affected by the tensions of sovereign debt markets," he said.

"Market perceptions come round in drawing this distinction through, among other reasons, new measures adopted to strengthen the Spanish credit institutions". solvency and the progress made in structural reform, following the approval of the draft law on the reform of pensions. ?

The Spanish economy collapsed in a recession in the second half of 2008, as the global financial crisis aggravated the collapse of the real estate market booming once.

It appeared with the lean early 2010 growth, but the end of the year with a contraction of 0.1%.

Spain, where the economy is the size of the economy, Greek, Irish and Portuguese combined, is now fighting to convince the markets that he should not grouped with the three lame ducks now under the terms of rescue EU and IMF.

The Government adopted reforms to strengthen the balance sheets of banks, to reduce the expenses of the State, to make it easier to hire and fire, to lower the retirement age and sell property.

Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has promised to bring the annual public deficit below a ceiling had 3.0% of the production in 2013.

The public deficit affected 11.1 per cent of GDP in 2009, the third highest in the eurozone after the Greece and the Ireland, before falling to 9.24 per cent last year.

The economy is also faced with an unemployment rate climbed to 21.29% in the first quarter, the highest in the industrialized world.

The Bank of Spain imposed tighter controls on banks to restore the confidence of nervous markets.

The National Institute of statistics (INE) will release first quarter official growth rates may 13. The Central Bank estimates are usually a good indication of the figures of the Ina.

The Spain Bank in March predicted that the economy will grow by 0.8% in 2011 and 1.5% in 2012, well below the forecast of the Government of 1.3% and 2.3% respectively.

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British economy returns to growth in the first quarter (AFP)

London (AFP)-l' British economy returns to growth in the first quarter of 2011, as planned, official data showed Wednesday, but economists warned that a weak outlook in deep reductions in government spending.

Gross domestic product (GDP) - the total value of goods and services produced in the economy - has increased by 0.5% in the first three months of 2011, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.

The economy has rebounded after a slowdown in abrupt and unexpected 0.5 per cent in the last three months of last year.

The NSO warned that growth has been largely unchanged since the third quarter of 2010, after freezing weather last December had taken a GDP estimated 0.5 percentage points in the fourth quarter.

"The figures suggest that underlying the activity in the economy stagnates fairly well," said Capital Economics Vicky Redwood Economist in response to the data.

Analysts have argued that the modest recovery was not yet strong enough to persuade the Bank of England to raise interest rates to combat high inflation, the concern about the impact of the deep state spending cuts and high prices of fuel.

"The gain of 0.5% is in line with consensus, but the increase to compensate for the decline of 0.5% in the fourth quarter - therefore GDP was flat in the last six months," capital VTB Economist Neil MacKinnon told AFP.

In the meantime, economic performance was 1.8 per cent more high between January and March, compared to the first quarter of 2010.

"In my opinion, is that the economic recovery this year is unlikely to be strong enough to justify a tightening of monetary policy, the tax reduction and the impact of high energy prices will be strong winds"said MacKinnon.

And Economist, IHS Global Insight Howard Archer described the dissemination of the data in the first quarter "disappointing".

"It is a somewhat disappointing performance, pointing to the economy being only standing together during the last two quarters."

He added: "this fuels concern on the underlying strength of the economy and its ability to resist the tax reduction."

The Bank of England voted this month to maintain his record of 0.50% low interest rates, as weak growth offset the worries of inflation.

Recent data showed that annual inflation in Britain dropped unexpectedly to 4.0% in March of 4.4% in February, reduce the pressure on the BoE to follow the European Central Bank to raise rates to combat the high prices.

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Economy British rebounds from 0.5% in the first quarter (AFP)

London (AFP)-l' British economy increased by 0.5% in the first three months of 2011, official data showed Wednesday, rebounding in accordance with the expectations of the market after a sharp decline from the end of last year.

"Gross domestic product (GDP) has increased by 0.5% in the first quarter of 2011, following a decline of 0.5% in the fourth quarter of 2010," the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.

"The effect of abnormal weather conditions in December 2010 is estimated to have subtracted 0.5% growth in the fourth quarter."

She added "GDP is estimated today to have returned to the level of the third quarter of 2010."

Economists said activity was largely flat - and argued that the modest recovery was not strong enough to convince the Bank of England to raise interest rates to combat high inflation, the concerns of the deep state spending cuts and high prices of fuel.

"The gain of 0.5 per cent is in line with consensus, but the increase to compensate for the decline of 0.5% in the fourth quarter - so GDP was flat in the past six months," Economist VTB Capital Neil MacKinnon told AFP.

Between January and March, economic production was 1.8 per cent higher compared to the first quarter of 2010, according to the ONS.

"In my opinion, is that the economic recovery this year is unlikely to be strong enough to justify a tightening of monetary policy, the tax reduction and the impact of high energy prices will be strong winds"said MacKinnon.

And Economist, IHS Global Insight Howard Archer described the dissemination of the data in the first quarter "disappointing".

He said: "it is a somewhat disappointing performance, pointing to the economy being only standing together during the last two quarters."

"This fuels concern on the underlying strength of the economy and its ability to resist the tax reduction."

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