German Growth Probably Slowed in Fragile Europe Recovery

Germany’s economic growth probably slowed last quarter in a sign of the fragility of the euro area’s nascent recovery.

Gross domestic product in Europe’s biggest economy probably increased about a quarter of a percent in the three months through December, compared with 0.3 percent in the third quarter, the Federal Statistics Office said in Berlin today. Full-year growth was 0.4 percent, missing the 0.5 percent median estimate by economists in a Bloomberg News survey. The nation’s 2013 budget deficit was 0.1 percent of GDP, compared with a prediction for a balanced budget.