FRANKFURT (Reuters) -The euro zone economy continued to expand at a modest but respectable pace in the second quarter while the trade surplus surged in September on healthy exports to the United States, data from Eurostat showed on Friday.

The 20-nation currency bloc has proven unexpectedly resilient to trade strife and uncertainty this year but its rate of expansion remains lukewarm compared to international peers and economists see few catalysts to generate faster growth.

Its economy grew by 0.2% on the quarter, in line with a first estimate from late October, as France and Spain balanced out Germany, which is stagnating for the third straight year on weak output, poor exports and muted private consumption.

Compared to a year earlier, GDP in the euro zone grew by 1.4% just ahead of ex

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