A sharp fall in exports and corporate investment has resulted in the German economy contracting by 0.6 per cent in the last three months of 2012, the statistics office said Friday.
Setting out the details of gross domestic product data released last week, the statistics office said exports slumped 2 per cent in the quarter, while imports fell by 0.6 per cent.
A modest gain in government and private consumer spending failed to offset a hefty 2-per-cent drop in investment in machinery and equipment.