LONDON (MarketWatch) — It took six years for Greece to escape recession, but, when it finally did, it did it with style.

The country scored a 0.7% growth rate in the third quarter, besting all other eurozone countries and even expanding faster than powerhouse Germany, which, in fact, barely dodged recession.

“Psychologically, this is important, and optimists will see this as a turning point in the Greek economy and that there is now light at the end of the tunnel,” said Nicholas Spiro, managing director at Spiro Sovereign Strategy. “The government can use this to show that the reforms have worked and try to negotiate a ‘clean’ exit from its bailout program.”

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is not the only one likely to use the recent data as testimony that the country’s economic dieting has been successful. Germany, a major proponent of fiscal reforms and rigid austerity, is also seen as potentially arguing that the Greek efforts have not been in vain, according to Spiro.

“You can bet your bottom dollar that at some stage — provided that the recovery continues — they will use Greece as an example and proof that tough economic reforms and fiscal discipline work,” Spiro said. “This makes it even less likely that Germany will support any large-scale fiscal stimulus [such as sovereign-bond purchases].”

After six years of economic crisis, two bailouts and the imposition of unpopular austerity measures, Greece is far from out of the woods. Unemployment is stuck on the wrong side of 25%, and youth unemployment even worse, at above 50%, while public debt remains a major problem. Read: What Greece had to endure before its economy moved higher.

That’s why investors in the sovereign-bond markets haven’t cheered Greece’s apparent green shoots: The yield Friday on 10-year government bonds GR:GR10YT was right around 8% — considered an unsustainable long-term borrowing level for governments.

“The essential contraction has been far more prolonged and deeper than anywhere in the eurozone,” said Timo del Carpio, European economist at RBC Capital Markets. “There is still a long way to get back to where Greece was before the crisis.”

You’re invited: A free evening event focusing on investing opportunities in Europe

Will you be in London on Dec. 3? Then you’re invited to our MarketWatch Investing Insights event, “The Worse Europe Gets, the More You Should Iinvest.”

Governments are in trouble, reform efforts have stalled, unemployment is climbing, the news from the eurozone is bleak. And investors are fleeing. But that’s a mistake: The worse the economic data from Europe get, the more you should be buying. Why? Because actions by the ECB will boost asset prices and the stock market in particular. And, big exporters can grow sales. Lower costs and steady sales translate into higher profits and dividends. Join us for an evening of cocktails and conversation to explore these opportunities.

Our panel will be led by MarketWatch columnist Matthew Lynn, a renowned financial journalist based in London and the author of “Bust: Greece, the Euro and the Sovereign Debt Crisis.” He’ll be joined by Mark Hulbert, MarketWatch columnist and editor of the Hulbert Financial Digest. This event is free, but RSVPs are required. It will be held Wednesday evening, Dec. 3, in London. For more information or to RSVP, send an email to marketwatchevent@wsj.com.