FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Europe’s economy failed to expand at the end of 2023, with the stagnation now lasting for more than a year amid higher energy prices, costlier credit and lagging growth in powerhouse Germany.
Zero economic growth for the October-to-December period of last year follows a 0.1% contraction in the three months before that, according to figures released Tuesday by EU statistics agency Eurostat.
That extends a miserable run of economic blahs: The 20 countries that use the euro currency have not shown significant growth since the third quarter of 2022, when the economy grew 0.5%.
With higher shipping costs and delays to products from clothes to keyboard components, concerns are growing of new consumer price spikes if the conflict in Gaza drags on or escalates.
The trade disruption could add as much as 0.5% to core inflation, which excludes volatile fuel and food prices, Oxford Economics said.
Persons:
”, Holger Schmieding, Yemen's Houthi
Organizations:
EU, Eurostat, European Central Bank, Oxford Economics, ECB, Hamas, Oxford
Locations:
FRANKFURT, Germany, Suez, Asia, Europe, Berenberg, United States, Russia, Ukraine, Red, Africa, Gaza