German Economy Suffers Worst Post-War Contraction

http://www.cnbc.com/id/34837011

German exports declined by 14.7 percent on the year in 2009, outweighing a drop of 8.9 percent in imports, the Statistics Office said, adding it looked as though China overtook Germany last year as the world's biggest exporter of goods.

German consumer sentiment declined going into January as worries over unemployment weighed on households' readiness to spend, a survey released last month showed.