French economic growth confirmed at 0.5% in third quarter - INSEE

(Reuters) -France's economy grew in the third quarter, final data from statistics office INSEE showed on Friday, confirming the preliminary reading of 0.5% that showed resilience in the euro zone's second-largest economy.

The result was in line with an average forecast of 0.5% in a Reuters poll of 25 economists.

Exports grew to 3.2% after +0.3% in the previous quarter, boosted by a sharp increase in exports of transport equipment, the statistics office said.

Household consumption, the traditional driver of French growth, continued to grow slightly, stable at 0.1% from the previous quarter, as a rebound in energy expenditure and an increase in service expenditure more than compensated for a drop in expenditure on food products.

(Reporting by Alessandro Parodi and Alban Kacher, editing by Marianna Ciabach Malinowska)