German economy sees unexpected growth in third quarter

BERLIN (AP) — The German economy grew in the third quarter, an unexpectedly positive performance powered largely by private spending. The Federal Statistical Office said Friday that gross domestic product in Europe’s biggest economy expanded by 0.3% in the July-September period compared with the previous quarter. That followed a slight increase of 0.1% in the second quarter. The government said earlier this month that GDP was believed to have shrunk in the third quarter and was expected to decline again in the last three months of the year as well as the first three months of 2023 before beginning to recover.