France's consumer spending stays strong

PARIS, May 24 (UPI) -- French household spending rose faster than expected in April, suggesting growth in the second quarter might not be as bad as some economists feared.

April's 1.0 percent rise in consumer spending on manufactured goods was double the revised 0.5 percent posted in March and indicates Europe's second largest economy may have more energy than expected, the Financial Times said Tuesday.

France's consumer spending is surpassing the continent's largest economy, Germany, where consumers actually cut spending in the first quarter.

The one cloud on France's economic horizon, though, is its gross domestic product, which rose just 0.2 percent in the first quarter.