Why the German economy is sputtering

Is it time to panic about Germany?

German cars.
(Image credit: Alexander Koerner/Getty Images)

The German economy ground to a halt in the fourth quarter of last year.

For most economic observers, this was a startling development. Despite the never-ending economic crises wracking Europe, Germany seemed like a perpetual bright spot, steadily clocking in 2-to-2.5 percent real GDP growth since 2014. But in the last year, Germany's growth nosedived and officially hit zero in 2018's final months. If it falls any further, Europe's biggest economy will be in recession territory.

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Jeff Spross

Jeff Spross was the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He was previously a reporter at ThinkProgress.