The eurozone's economic recovery faltered late last year as a strong performance by France failed to offset stagnation in Germany and contraction in Italy and Spain.

Gross domestic product in the 16-country region crept just 0.1 per cent higher in the fourth quarter compared with the previous three months, reported Eurostat, the European Union's statistics office. That meant the eurozone was left behind by the US, which expanded 1.4 per cent in the same period.

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