By William L. Watts
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Gross domestic product across the 16-nation euro zone grew by 0.2% in the first quarter compared to the final three months of 2009, European Union statistics agency Eurostat reported Friday. The figure was unrevised from an earlier estimate. Compared to the first quarter of last year, GDP grew by 0.6%, Eurostat said, up from an earlier estimate of 0.5%. Eurostat revised up its estimate of growth in the final quarter of 2009 to show quarterly growth of 0.1% and a fall of 2.1% compared to the same period the previous year. Eurostat previously estimated that fourth-quarter GDP was flat on a quarterly basis and had contracted 2.2% compared to the final quarter of 2008.
