German economic growth slowed less than expected in the second quarter as higher exports and strong state spending and private consumption compensated for weaker investment in construction and machinery, preliminary data showed on Friday. 
But at 0.4 per cent, German gross domestic product (GDP) in the three months to the end of June slowed from the first quarter when it grew by 0.7 per cent, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) said. 
Year on year, working-day adjusted growth slipped to 1.8 per cent in the second quarter from 1.9 per cent in the first three months, German News Agency (DPA) quoted Destatis as saying.