It was meant to be a fleeting slowdown for Europe’s economic powerhouse, followed by a rapid rebound. Instead, Germany has been stuck in neutral for a year with hopes fading for a turnaround, a situation that threatens to spread lasting economic gloom across Europe. Its vast industry is in recession, a victim of shifting consumer trends, China’s economic rebalancing, and a global trade war. Investment spending is shrinking, sentiment is souring, job creation has stalled and productivity growth looks to have turned negative. Compounding the pain, what was thought to be an unfortunate coincidence of one-off factors has ... (full story)