Germany’s strong growth in Q1 managed to pull the euro-zone from the brink of recession. The 17 nation currency bloc didn’t contract nor grow in Q1 2012. Germany grew by 0.5%, far better than early expectations that stood on 0.1%. The French economy stalled, exactly as expected. Italy disappointed with a significant contraction: 0.8%. This was worse than 0.6% that was expected, and is the third consecutive negative quarter. Spain already reported its contraction earlier, and is already in recession. Europe’s fourth largest economy is now struggling with a problematic banking sector, which sidelines the contracting economy and the huge unemployment rate of 24.4%. In addition, to the GDP figure, the German ZEW Economic Sentiment disappointed after many positive months and fell from 19.1 to 10.8. ZEW explained the drop in sentiment on the Greek situation – the uncertainty regarding Greece’s membership in the euro-zone weighs on sentiment. EUR/USD is at 1.2850, in the middle of the 1.2814 to 1.2873 range. EUR/USD Chart - Click to enlarge See more in the EUR/USD forecast. The less important European wide ZEW Economic Sentiment also dropped to a lower abyss than expected: from +13.1 to -2.4, much worse than 11.7 that was expected. Yohay Elam Yohay Elam Yohay Elam: Founder, Writer and Editor I have been into forex trading for over 5 years, and I share the experience that I have and the knowledge that I've accumulated. After taking a short course about forex. Like many forex traders, I've earned a significant share of my knowledge the hard way. Macroeconomics, the impact of news on the ever-moving currency markets and trading psychology have always fascinated me. Before founding Forex Crunch, I've worked as a programmer in various hi-tech companies. I have a B. Sc. in Computer Science from Ben Gurion University. Given this background, forex software has a relatively bigger share in the posts. Yohay's Google Profile View All Post By Yohay Elam Forex News Today: Daily Trading News share Read Next EUR/USD May 15 Euro Dips as Greek Crisis Continues, Kenny Fisher 10 years Germany's strong growth in Q1 managed to pull the euro-zone from the brink of recession. The 17 nation currency bloc didn't contract nor grow in Q1 2012. Germany grew by 0.5%, far better than early expectations that stood on 0.1%. The French economy stalled, exactly as expected. Italy disappointed with a significant contraction: 0.8%. This was worse than 0.6% that was expected, and is the third consecutive negative quarter. Spain already reported its contraction earlier, and is already in recession. Europe's fourth largest economy is now struggling with a problematic banking sector, which sidelines the contracting economy and the huge… Regulated Forex Brokers All Brokers Sponsored Brokers Broker Benefits Min Deposit Score Visit Broker 1 $100T&Cs Apply 0% Commission and No stamp DutyRegulated by US,UK & International StockCopy Successfull Traders 9.8 Visit Site FreeBets Reviews$100Your capital is at risk. 2 T&Cs Apply 9.8 Visit Site FreeBets Reviews$100Your capital is at risk. 3 Recommended Broker $100T&Cs Apply No deposit or withdrawal feesTrade major forex pairs such as EUR/USD with leverage up to 30:1 and tight spreads of 0.9 pips Low $100 minimum deposit to open a trading account 9 Visit Site FreeBets ReviewsYour capital is at risk. 4 T&Cs Apply Visit Site FreeBets ReviewsYour capital is at risk. 5 Recommended Broker $0T&Cs Apply Trade gold, silver, and platinum directly against major currenciesUp to 1:500 leverage for forex trading24/5 customer service by phone and email 9 Visit Site FreeBets ReviewsYour capital is at risk.