The Japanese economy grew faster than any other G7 country in the first quarter of the year, reflecting the benefit of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's expansionary policies.
The French economy has officially entered its third recession in four years after shrinking in the first quarter of 2013, data released today has revealed.
Mervyn King, the outgoing governor of the Bank of England, has been tipped to give the Chancellor a helpful boost this week by upgrading growth prospects for the embattled UK economy.
European markets and the US dollar have extended losses after US GDP came in at a lower than expected 2.5% in Q1.