Finance & economics | Mein Gott

Germany’s economy goes from bad to worse

Things may look brighter next year, but the relief will be short-lived

Dark rain clouds move over the port of Hamburg, Germany
Photograph: Alamy
|Berlin

It was with Teutonic understatement that Robert Habeck noted economic conditions were “not satisfactory”. Germany’s economy minister was speaking on October 9th, just after official forecasts for the year had been revised from growth of 0.3% to a contraction of 0.2%. This would follow a 0.3% decline in output last year, meaning that Germany faces its first two-year recession in more than two decades.

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