OECD GDP growth slows sharply to 0.1% in the fourth quarter of 2011

Quarterly National Accounts - GDP Growth - Fourth Quarter 2011, OECD

The OECD total masks diverging patterns however. In the United States, GDP growth accelerated to 0.7% in the fourth quarter of 2011, compared with 0.5% in the third quarter, while in Japan GDP declined by 0.6% following the strong technical rebound (1.7%) in the third quarter. In the Euro area and the European Union, GDP also fell, by 0.3%, for the first time since the second quarter of 2009.

This divergences make us wonder if this is just a temporary pattern. Consider General Motors Co (GM.N) regained its title as the world's top-selling automaker from Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) in 2011, but the U.S. company faces a challenge to stay on top this year as Toyota rebuilds its disaster-struck business. Link