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Recession

A recession is a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters.

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News

October 30, 2024

Germany narrowly avoids recession with slight Q3 growth

Skip next section Reports & Analysis

Reports & Analysis

Multiple container ships are docked at Container Terminal Altenwerder at Hamburg Port

No recession, but little relief, for German economy

No recession, but little relief, for German economy

It seems like nothing but bad news these days for the German economy. Does new economic data offer some good news?
BusinessOctober 31, 2024
The entrance of the VW plant in Chemnitz showing a banner with a car, the outlines of people and a pulse curve.

How the VW crisis is a failure of Germany's car policy

How the VW crisis is a failure of Germany's car policy

Europe's biggest carmaker is in the midst of a severe sales and cost crisis. Is this actually just a sign of the times?
BusinessOctober 30, 2024
Deutschland Wirtschaft l TDI l Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (SPD, l) und Siegfried Russwurm, Präsident des BDI

Scholz meets industry leaders to discuss economic crisis

Scholz meets industry leaders to discuss economic crisis

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets industry leaders to tackle stalled growth and long-standing structural issues.
BusinessOctober 29, 202402:06 min
A Volkswagen flag in front of a dark gray cloudy sky.

German automaker Volkswagen faces unprecedented crisis

German automaker Volkswagen faces unprecedented crisis

Anger and concern among VW workers rise as potential layoffs and plant closures threaten their livelihoods.
BusinessOctober 28, 202401:47 min
The banking tower of Commerzbank in Frankfurt

Germany's prolonged recession makes firms takeover targets

Germany's prolonged recession makes firms takeover targets

As more and more companies struggle in the downturn, they are becoming the focus of merger and acquisition specialists.
BusinessOctober 9, 2024
Demonstrators, one displaying French flag, gather under the statue of Marianne, a symbol of the French Republic, during a protest demonstration responding to a call from the far-left party leader who criticized as a power grab the president's appointment of a new prime minister, Michel Barnier,

Can France cut spending without stoking recession?

Can France cut spending without stoking recession?

France needs to bring down public spending — but its minority government is facing headwinds.
BusinessOctober 4, 2024
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Skip next section In the spotlight

In the spotlight

A bull statue stands in front of the building of the German stock exchange in Frankfurt,

Why German stock index DAX breaks record as recession looms

Confidence in Germany's 40 biggest firms has little to do with sentiment on the ground.
BusinessMarch 13, 2024
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck holding a chart at a press conference

Germany's recession fears: Economic outlook is grim

The German government's annual economic report is bleak. Hopes that things might pick up again in 2024 have vanished.
PoliticsFebruary 22, 2024
A public groceries market in Aix-en-Provence, France

Economic growth: What France is doing better than Germany

While Germany's economy is contracting, the French GDP is growing. But France could pay a price.
BusinessOctober 31, 2023
Cargo loading and unloading at a Chinese port in Lianyungang

Why China is unlikely to rescue the world economy again

Beijing's huge stimulus helped the West recover from the 2008 financial crisis. Here's why history won't repeat itself.
BusinessMay 13, 2023
Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, WEF, practicing his speech before a virtual media briefing

Davos 2023 hosts global elite amid recession fears

Last year, Ukraine dominated the discourse. This year, an energy crunch and recession risk will take center stage.
BusinessJanuary 16, 2023
An electronic signboard in the dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul with a person in the foreground, their hands clasped behind their head

5 economic challenges that await us in 2023

2022 was rough for the world economy, and 2023 promises to be worse with a looming recession. But it's not all bad news.
BusinessJanuary 2, 2023
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