France's fourth-quarter GDP grew 0.6% (by Polya Lesova)

FRANKFURT (MarketWatch) -- France's gross domestic product grew 0.6% in the fourth quarter of 2009 compared to the preceding quarter, the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, Insee, reported on Friday. Third-quarter GDP growth was revised down to 0.2% from 0.3%. On the whole year, French GDP contracted by 2.2%, the largest drop since World War II, Insee said.