Germany recorded GDP growth in the first quarter of just 0.3%, coming in well below the expectations of economists, while Greece has returned to recession. Germany has traditionally been an export-focused economy but weaker eurozone trading partners and lower demand from China have hit overseas trade levels. In stark contrast to Germany, France beat analysts' forecasts for the first quarter and also outpaced German GDP growth. France posted its fastest economic growth rate in two years for the first three months of 2015, with growth of 0.6% beating market expectations of 0.4%.