31/01/2017 (Agence Europe) – The French institute of statistics and economic studies (INSEE) said on Tuesday 31 January that French national GDP had increased by +0.4% in the fourth quarter of 2016, putting growth in France at an annual rate of +1.1% (+1.2% in 2015). Due to the slowdown in global trade, French exports slowed in 2016, slowing growth by up to -0.9%. "As a sign of the current dynamism of the French economy, activity clearly accelerated in the fourth quarter of 2016 with growth of +0.4%, after +0.2% the previous quarter. All indicators are again clearly positive, both in household spending and in business investment and the property market", the French ministry for the economy stated. (MB)