Euro economy: The final step

It’s easy to forget about the real economy, what with all the excitement in the markets. But the second quarter growth numbers for the eurozone are also exciting in their own way. They were a disappointment. The region’s growth surge seems to have faltered. Germany and France, the two biggest economies, grew by just 0.3% in the second quarter from the first. Italy, up by 0.1%, barely managed to grow at all. And together the 13 countries of the eurozone recorded 0.3% growth in the quarter, compa...