Euro zone third-quarter growth unexpectedly steady, inflation slows on cheaper energy

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone economic growth in the third quarter defied market expectations of a slowdown and was steady quarter-on-quarter, preliminary data showed on Thursday, while headline inflation slowed because of a sharp fall in energy prices.The European Union's statistics office Eurostat estimated gross domestic product in the 19 countries sharing the euro grew 0.2 percent in the July-September period against the previous three months, the same as in the second quarter.Economists..