There were encouraging signs for the global economy yesterday as the eurozone emerged from recession, France and Germany reported a second consecutive quarter of growth and the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast that the US would not suffer a “double-dip” decline.

The 16-nation eurozone reported a 0.4 per cent rise in gross domestic product (GDP) in the third quarter, after a 0.2 per cent decline in the previous three months, according to the European Union’s statistics office. The recovery was powered by strong exports from France and Germany, which reported third-quarter output growth of 0.3 per cent and 0.7 per cent respectively.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the IMF, said that he did not foresee a double-dip recession in the US, which grew at an annual rate of 3.5 per cent in the third quarter. This equates to a 0.9 per cent increase in the quarter, compared with the previous three months. Speaking in Singapore, Mr Strauss-Kahn said: “We are certainly at a turning point in the recovery. Growth in 2010 and 2011, while positive, will be lower than the rate of growth before the crisis. Our forecast, not only for the United States but also for the rest of the world, is that 2010 will be the year of recovery.”

Economists had feared the US could experience a further period of decline next year as rising unemployment dragged down demand.

Philip Shaw, chief economist at Investec, said: “These latest developments certainly paint a rosier outlook. In particular, the fact that France and Germany showed further growth helps to cement their recovery.” However, he said that the eurozone recovery was fairly “soft”, coming in slightly below the consensus forecast of 0.5 per cent.

Germany’s GDP growth was also a shade under the 0.8 per cent consensus forecast, although it marked an acceleration from the 0.4 per cent rise in the previous three months. France’s third-quarter GDP was only half of the 0.6 per cent forecast and the same level as growth in the second quarter.

While Mr Strauss-Kahn downplayed the chance of a double-dip, many economists expect the recovery seen in Europe and America in the third quarter — and expected in the UK this quarter — to lose speed, if not reverse, at some point next year.

Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, said: “We suspect that the eurozone’s recovery could well lose momentum for a time in 2010 before growth starts to gradually pick up again.

“This loss of momentum is expected to be the consequence of the withdrawal of some stimulus measures, including car scrappage schemes and employment support measures.”

The UK had been expected to come out of recession in the third quarter, but according to an initial estimate by the Office for National Statistics, output in the period fell by 0.4 per cent. Some economists expect the figure to be revised up, though only by a few percentage points. But most are confident of a return to growth this quarter.

Hopes that the UK economy could be pulling round faster than previously anticipated were boosted this week with new employment data showing that the rise in joblessness slowed considerably in the three months to the end of September. The number of unemployed people increased by 30,000 to 2.46 million in the period, compared with a 205,000 increase in the previous three months.

On the same day, the Bank of England increased its forecast for Britain’s economic growth in 2010 and 2011.

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