The French economy contracted 0.1 percent in the July to September period from the April to June period, when it grew 0.5 percent, as business investment fell further, disappointing hopes for sustained recovery just months after the country broke out of a shallow recession.

The decline, at an annualized rate of about 0.4 percent, came as investment by nonfinancial companies fell by a quarterly 0.6 percent, after falling 0.4 percent in the second quarter, according to Insee, the national statistics institute. Spending by households decelerated, rising just 0.2 percent on a quarterly basis, from a 0.4 percent rise in the second quarter.

While the French figure was disappointing, it was only slightly worse than the consensus forecast of a 0.1 percent expansion. The country’s unemployment rate stands at more than 11 percent, and a report Wednesday showed industrial production turning down sharply in September. Last week, Standard & Poor’s cut the country’s credit rating to AA from AA+, saying it doubted that the government’s current policy course would be able to restore growth.

The growth in Germany was in line with expectations. It came primarily from increased consumer spending as well as domestic investment by German companies, the statistical office said. The pickup in domestic spending should help placate criticism that Germany has not been using its enormous trade surplus to help stimulate its own economy, and by extension the euro zone.

On Wednesday, the European Commission said it would begin an in-depth review of the German economy, and look into whether the country’s trade surplus — 45.9 billion euro, or $61.7 billion, in the second quarter of this year — was so large as to pose a threat to the rest of the bloc.

The German growth figures were preliminary and the Federal Statistical Office, in Wiesbaden, did not give a detailed breakdown of where the increased output was coming from. But it said domestic spending by households grew. In addition, companies spent more on new machinery and equipment as well as on construction projects.

Imports also grew, the statistical office said, without giving exact figures, while exports declined.