Eurozone slides into double-dip recession

The eurozone has officially entered recession, the latest GDP data shows, as growth in core economies was offset by a surprisingly weak figure from the Netherlands.

The eurozone as a whole contracted 0.1% in Q3, in line with forecasts and following a 0.2% contraction in Q2. The figure represents the second time the eurozone has fallen into recession since the financial crisis in 2008. Although core eurozone economies France and Germany reported growth, continued weakness in the peripheral economies hit the headline figure in Q3 2012, as did a 1.1% contraction from the Netherlands. France posted its first GDP growth in a year at 0.2%, while Germany reported the same level of growth. GDP in Italy fell by 0.2% and Spain by 0.3%, while Greece a...