German Economy Unexpectedly Shrank 0.1% in Second Quarter

JERMAN - BERLIN. The German economy unexpectedly shrank in the second quarter after skirting a recession at the beginning of the year, showing that the euro zone's biggest economy is failing to take off despite the easing of inflation pressures.

Germany's gross domestic product contracted by 0.1% in the second quarter compared with the previous three-month period, preliminary data from the statistics office showed on Tuesday.