The Italian economy has surprisingly grown in the summer. The gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.5 percent in the third quarter compared to the previous quarter, as the statistics office Istat announced on Monday in Rome after an initial estimate. Analysts had assumed stagnation for the months of July to September.
However, growth was weaker than in the previous quarter. In the second quarter, GDP had increased by 1.1 percent. While the economy in areas such as fisheries, agriculture and industry slowed down, retail grew. (dpa)