German growth slows to 0.2 pct as expected in third quarter

German economic growth slowed to 0.2 percent quarter-on-quarter in the July-September period, seasonally-adjusted data showed on Thursday, as the euro zone crisis sapped the vitality out of Europe's largest economy.

Preliminary data from the Statistics Office also showed growth slowed to 0.4 percent from the same quarter a year ago in unadjusted terms, down from 0.5 percent in the second quarter.

"Positive impetus came from abroad compared with the previous quarter," the Statistics Office said in a statement. "According to preliminary estimates, exports of goods and services climbed more than imports. There were, however, mixed signals from within Germany."

Quarterly growth was in line with the median forecast in a Reuters poll of 50 economists, in which expectations ranged from -0.4 percent to +0.5 percent. (Reporting by Berlin bureau)