The euro zone posted 0.3 percent growth in the second quarter of 2013 from the first, beating expectations for 0.2 percent growth and signaling the end of the longest recession in continental Europe in over 40 years. Earlier on Wednesday, Germany and France posted forecast-beating growth in the second quarter. Germany's economy grew by 0.7 percent in the second quarter from the first, as domestic public and private consumption picked up. Meanwhile, France leaped out of a recession, posting 0.5 percent growth in the second quarter, way above expectations of 0.2 percent growth. The gross domestic product (GDP) numbers ... (full story)