Gross domestic product in the 17-nation euro area fell 0.3 per cent from the prior three months, the first drop since the second quarter of 2009, the European Union’s statistics office in Luxembourg said on Wednesday. Economists had forecast a drop of 0.4 per cent, the median of 42 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey shows. In Germany, Europe’s largest economy, GDP dropped less than economists projected in the fourth quarter, while France’s economy unexpectedly expanded in that period.

<p><table width='100%' border=0 cellspacing=0><tr><td style='FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 18px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: #0253B7;'>Euro economy contracts for first time since 2009</td></tr><tr><tr><td style='FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 11px; '>Germany

Euro economy contracts for first time since 2009

Germanys GDP shrinks 0.2%, Frances grows by 0.2% in fourth quarter

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