According to the Jornal de Negócios of August 31st, the detailed data for the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the second quarter, released by Portugal’s National Institute of Statistics (INE) on that date, reveals that the economy grew by 0.8% quarter-on-quarter in the spring—exceeding expectations—driven primarily by the external demand. The acceleration of exports—particularly services—was the main supporting factor, while the domestic demand made a negligible contribution, as the decline in investment offset gains in household consumption. The detailed data also shows that the contribution of net external demand was significant. Year-on-year, GDP grew by 2.5% in the quarter.