Good news has been sparse for the German economy. And the latest economic data has not done much to change this. A few key 2023 data points, namely factory orders, exports and industrial production, were out last week and indicated a weak end to the year that saw questions about Germany being the “sick man of Europe” resurface. “The data confirm that German industry is still in recession,” Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank, told CNBC. Industrial production declined by 1.6% in December on a monthly basis, and was down 1.5% in 2023 overall compared to the previous year. Exports – which are a major ... (full story)