The German economy shrank by 0.2% in the 4th quarter of 2022

The German economy contracted by 0.2% in the last quarter. The rule of thumb is often that 2 negative quarters in a row are considered a "technical recession". Compared to recent history, however, we are still a long way from a severe recession. By way of comparison, the second quarter of 2019 also saw a decline of 0.2%. At that time, the uncertainty surrounding the US/China trade dispute, the Brexit negotiations and the Italian government crisis was a decisive factor.