According to the flash estimates released on February 15 by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, in the fourth quarter of 2010 the gross domestic product (GDP) of the European Union member states (EU-27) rose by 0.2 percent quarter on quarter, though this rate is likely to be revised. In the third quarter of 2010, the quarter-on-quarter growth rate was 0.5 percent.
In comparison with the same quarter of the previous year, seasonally adjusted GDP in the EU-27 improved in the fourth quarter of 2010 by 2.1 percent, after a year-on-year increase of 2.2 percent in the previous quarter.
According to the latest data, in the United States GDP increased by 0.8 percent quarter on quarter during the fourth quarter of 2010, after a 0.6 percent rise in the third quarter of 2010. In Japan, GDP fell by 0.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010 over the third quarter, after a 0.8 percent quarter-on-quarter rise in the third quarter.